The War of the Triforce
by Zoshonel
Summary: It's been seven years since Link defeated Ganon, sealed him in the Evil Realm, and returned to the past to live out the childhood he had missed. Even though there has been peace for those seven years, a new darkness is approaching the kingdom of Hyrule.
1. Prologue

**The War of The Triforce**

By: Zoshonel

Legends speak about a young boy who emerged from a village hidden deep within the Lost Woods. This boy traveled all across the lands of Hyrule on a quest to save Hyrule from the ultimate evil. Along the way this boy came across the legendary Master Sword and realized his calling as the mythical _Hero of Time_. Being too young to carry this burden at the time, the six sages of Hyrule put the boy into a dormant state for seven years.

When he awoke, he was no longer a boy but a full-grown man. The Hyrule he had once known was no more. Hyrule Castle had been destroyed, its marketplace abandoned and filled with zombies, and the entire kingdom gripped in fear and overrun with creatures of darkness. Before the _Hero of Time_ could vanquish the ultimate evil, he had to first awaken the sages and add their power to his own.

By going back and forth through time, he awakened all six sages. With their power now added to his own, he headed to where Hyrule Castle had once stood. He entered the palace of the evil one and after a long, gruesome battle emerged victorious. With the evil vanquished, the hero was sent back through time to live the seven years that he had missed in a world free from the grips of the ultimate evil.

There are some who believe the legends, but there are a great deal more who do not. Those who don't believe do so mainly because they don't even believe in the legends of the Master Sword. Whether they believe in it or not, there is no one that can deny that at about the same time that the legend was started, all the evil in Hyrule seemed to vanish. The monsters that once terrorized Hyrule disappeared as well as the tall, dark man who came from the Gerudo Valley.

It is not sure where the legend originated from, but many speculate that it was started by Princess Zelda. As to whom the boy is that became the _Hero of Time_, no one knows for sure who he is. There are many who believe that they saw him and describe him as a young boy in green clothing with a fairy companion.

That was seven years ago. The power of the sages is weakening, and a new darkness is beginning to descend upon the kingdom of Hyrule.


	2. Chapter 1

Rauru, the Sage of Light, stands upon his pedestal within the Sage room. A grave look is on his face. As he looks down, he hears a noise. He looks up and sees a glowing green ball of light flying through the air. It lands on the forest pedestal and transforms into Saria, the Sage of the Forest. One by one all the other sages arrive and land on their respective pedestals.

"Alright Rauru," said Impa, the Sage of Shadow, "we're all here. What is it?"

"Come on Impa," he replied, "don't tell me that you don't know. You can all feel it, can't you? Our powers are weakening."

"Yes, I have noticed that." said Darunia, the Sage of Fire. "I was wondering if it was only happening to me or to you guys as well."

"What's causing it?" asked Saria.

"I do not know." said Rauru. "Whatever it is though, I'm sure it has to do with the darkness approaching from the East."

"This approaching darkness, I've felt it before." said Nabooru, the Sage of the Spirits. "Tell me Rauru, is it-"

"Yes, it is. It is Him. We cannot focus on that now though. We all need to focus on using our remaining powers to keep the seal on the Evil Realm intact. We mustn't allow Ganondorf to escape and join forces with Him."

"Who is this person you speak of?" asked Saria.

"Now is not the time. We must first make preparations to keep the seal going even if something should happen to us. After that is done we can discuss in full what is about to happen."

"Should we inform Zelda?" asked Impa. "She is the seventh sage after all."

"No, not yet. Her powers will not have been affected like ours have. That may be because she is attuned to the Triforce of Wisdom, but I'm not sure. We also must not tell Link. We need to focus on the task at hand right now, and it will take all six of us to do it. Besides, I sense that Link is about to learn what is about to happen."

"Do you guys realize that today is the day that Link defeated Ganon in the alternate future that Ganon had created?" asked Ruto, the Sage of Water. "At about this time Link would be storming Ganon's Castle and making his way to the top of the tower where the final fight between the two would take place."

"Why you're right." said Darunia. "I hadn't even realized. Rauru, do you suppose that there is a reason why today, of all days, is the day that this new evil approaches?"

"An interesting question Darunia." replied Rauru. "We'll have to look into that later."

"Hold on a second." said Nabooru. "Link and Zelda are going to need help in the coming conflict. I have an idea on how to aid them, but we must do it now while we still have roughly half our powers left."

"If it'll help Link, then I say we do it whatever it is." said Ruto.

"I know what you speak of Nabooru." said Rauru. "You do realize though that it is very difficult to perform even when we are all at full strength. If everybody is game though, then we shall do it."

* * *

It was a bright, clear, beautiful, sunny day out in Hyrule. It was the perfect day to just lie back and relax from one's troubles. Of course, ever since Link defeated Ganondorf there haven't been any troubles, or monsters, in Hyrule for the past seven years. Life was just moving along normally and peacefully for all the inhabitants of Hyrule. 

While the rest of Hyrule was just moving along normally, Link was dozing under the big tree on the island in the middle of Lake Hylia. Link had arrived at the lake only an hour or so after dawn so that he could enjoy the place all to himself before children from Hyrule Market and Kakariko Village came to play. Link had donned his Zora Tunic just in case he wanted to go for a swim, and even had his Biggoron Sword with him, since it was the only sword he now owned after giving up the Master Sword. Though he hadn't needed to use it for the past seven years, he just felt safer with it.

Beside Link stuck deep into the ground was a long, sturdy fishing pole. The fishing line was far out into the lake, but it was just sitting there moving only when the water moved. Even though Link had been there since dawn, he had yet to catch a fish.

With a big yawn, Link awoke and stood up, stretching his body as he did so. He looked at his fishing line just sitting out there and picked up his fishing pole. He started reeling in the line so he could see if the bait he had on the hook was still there or if a fish had taken it from him. Seeing that his bait was still there, he extended the fishing pole back and whipped the line far out into the lake.

As Link stood there with the fishing pole, he heard a branch snap behind him. Without making any sudden movements or any other sign that he had heard a thing, Link slowly put the fishing pole back into the hole in the ground. He then quickly did a back flip as someone, or something, jumped out of the tree toward him. As he came out of the back flip he pulled out his Biggoron sword and got into a defensive stance.

When he first looked at his attacker he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. His attacker looked like Sheik, but after looking closely knew otherwise. His attacker was male, had red eyes which indicated that he was a Sheikah, and had dark brown hair. The Sheikah warrior was dressed in the same outfit Zelda had worn, except for the mask covering the face, when she was Sheik. He had a pair of short, double-edged swords in his hands which he was currently holding in a defensive stance.

"Who are you and why have you attacked me?" demanded Link.

"First I must see if you are who I think you are." said the mysterious warrior. "Then, and only then, will I reveal anything to you."

"What? That doesn't make an-"

Link's sentence was cut short by the warrior as he charged forward. Link quickly went on the defensive blocking the Sheikah's blows. Link knew that he was at a disadvantage. Even though his sword was way more powerful, it was also a lot slower then the two swords the Sheikah had. The Sheikah continued his onslaught not letting Link even get a second's break. He was driving Link back up against the tree where Link would have no place else to go.

Link noticed this and waited till he got within a few inches of the tree. When the Sheikah attacked, Link not only blocked the swords but used his strength to push the Sheikah back. This forced him to do a jump attack to quickly regain the ground Link made him lose and strike back. Link used this opening though and rolled sideways out of the way. All the Sheikah got out of his jump attack was both swords jammed into the tree.

Link now charged at the temporarily unarmed Sheikah with his sword thrust outward so as to prevent him from freeing his stuck weapons. The Sheikah saw the charge and jumped up high into the air and right over Link's head. Link looked up in amazement not able to believe that someone could jump that high and that quickly. As the Sheikah came down he slammed both his legs into Link's back.

The force of the kick was strong enough to send Link straight to the ground. As his face hit the dirt, he lost the grip of his sword and it slid several feet in front of him, almost falling into the lake. After spitting the dirt out of his mouth, he turned around and saw the Sheikah yank his swords free from the tree. Link knew he was in trouble and quickly crawled his way over to his sword.

After pulling his swords free from the tree, the Sheikah looked over at Link and saw him crawling toward his sword. He smiled and then did a front flip over Link. Link saw this and quickly planted his feet against the ground and pushed off. He flew low to the ground and grabbed his sword before the Sheikah could knock it into the water.

Now that Link was back on his feet, he knew that he was going to need more room to fight then the island was giving them. He waited until the Sheikah started recovering from his jump and then made a dash for the bridge that connected the island to the even smaller one in the distance which in turn connected to the shore. When he was about halfway across the bridge, he heard the Sheikah whistle.

Link stopped, turned around, and saw the Sheikah standing on the island right in front of the bridge. The Sheikah then smiled as he quickly cut the ropes which suspended the bridge above the lake. The bridge fell into the lake taking Link with it. Once Link was underwater, he instinctively held his breath. He then realized that he had the Zora Tunic on and that he could breath underwater.

As Link started breathing normally, he realized that his sword was no longer in his hand. He looked down and saw the sword slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake. He knew that if he didn't grab it quickly then he would have to return with his Iron Boots to get it from the bottom of the lake. Link began diving rapidly trying to reach his descending sword. Link was starting to reach his sword, but his body was beginning to start pulling him back up.

Fighting against the pressures being exerted to send his body back to the surface he lunged down with the last of his strength and grabbed his sword. With sword in hand he let his body bring him back up to the surface. He knew that the Sheikah would be waiting for him, so he maneuvered his body so that he would come up underneath the part of the bridge now floating in the water.

Link had to come up with a plan of attack. The Sheikah had the high ground and as such had an advantage. He could strike Link as soon as he tried to surface. As he was thinking, he remembered that he had his Kokiri Sword, which was now nothing more than a small dagger to him, in his boot. With his free hand he reached down and pulled out the small sword. He then put the Biggoron Sword back into its sheath and prepared to surface.

He came up behind the bridge and grabbed the side tightly. He then pulled himself up with all his strength and rolled onto the bridge. As he came around to see the big island, he saw the Sheikah still standing there. Link quickly aimed and tossed the Kokiri Sword. The sword flew through the air and nailed the Sheikah in his left shoulder. As the Sheikah fell to the ground clutching his shoulder, Link quickly ran across the now floating bridge and jumped onto the island with the Biggoron Sword ready to strike. He pinned the Sheikah down with his right foot and then brought the sword down to his throat.

"Okay," said Link panting, "now what . . . is going . . . on?"

"It truly is you." said the Sheikah, wincing in pain as he did so. "You're Link, the legendary Hero of Time."


	3. Chapter 2

"How do you know my name!" exclaimed Link surprised as all hell. "And what makes you think that I'm Hero of Time spoken of in the legends!"

"Don't even try it." said the Sheikah. "Both Zelda and Impa have told me all about you. Forgive my attack on you, but I couldn't just go by appearances alone. I knew that only the true Hero of Time would be able to defeat me, so it was the only way to make sure."

"Wait a minute, how do you know Zelda and Impa?"

"Who do you think trained me? Along with Impa, I'm one of the only full-blooded Sheikahs left, so it's only natural that she would train me to the best of my abilities. Of course, as I'm sure you already know, if you know Impa then it's not that hard to know Zelda since they are seldom ever apart. My name is Gerik by the way."

"Forgive me if I don't just take your word on it, but I'm going to need some proof. Ah, I know. If you truly know either Zelda or Impa, then you should know how to play Zelda's Lullaby. If you can play it successfully, then I'll believe you."

"Fine by me, but first you're going to have to get off of me."

"Oh, sorry." Link apologized as he just realized he still had Gerik pinned to the ground with his foot and his sword at his throat. "Just know that if you try anything funny I'll cut you up into so many pieces so quickly you won't know what hit you."

Link cautiously lifted his foot off of Gerik's chest and backed away. He kept his sword trained on Gerik at all times though and was ready to strike at a moments notice, especially as he was getting up off the ground. Once Gerik was up he reached behind him and pulled out a harp. It looked exactly like the one Zelda used in her disguise as Sheik. Gerik held the harp in his left hand, since his left shoulder was still in immense pain, and started playing Zelda's Lullaby note by note with his right hand. Satisfied, Link finally lowered his weapon and put it back into its sheath.

"Okay, I believe you." said Link. "Hey look, I'm sorry about your shoulder."

"Don't worry about it." replied Gerik. "You were only defending yourself. Besides, I'm a fully trained Sheikah warrior. I hardly even feel the pain anymore."

"So why did you come find me? Does Zelda need me or something? If so, this is a new way of summoning me. Usually she just sends a messenger from the castle to come get me."

"Um, actually I haven't been in touch with either Impa or Princess Zelda for the past three years."

"Then why did you go through all this trouble to find me?"

"Well you see, three years ago I completed my training with Impa. I then went off on my own to train myself even harder, to push myself to my limits and beyond. Since there haven't been any monsters in Hyrule for the past seven years, I headed to the Lost Woods to continue my training. I've been there ever since."

"This is all interesting and all," Link interrupted, "but it's not answering my question. Why did you come here in search of me?"

"Because Hyrule is in danger." said Gerik with such a straight face that it would make Impa's facial expressions look like hysterical laughter.

"What do you mean in danger?"

"There is a fleet of ships carrying a very large and very dangerous army to Hyrule. They will land on our shores sometime within the next few hours."

"What the hell are you babbling about? There are no shores in Hyrule. There's not even an ocean, so how can there be a shore?"

"If you would've let me continue my story you'd know what I'm talking about. The ocean lies on the other side of the Lost Woods. If you'll come with me I'll show you."

"Sure, why not. I've got nothing better to do today."

Link picked up the Kokiri sword and placed it back in his boot. Gerik picked up his twin blades and placed them in their sheaths on his back. The two of them then ran across the now floating bridge to get back to the land. As they neared the scientist's house Link whistled. Epona was grazing nearby, so there was no need to use Epona's song to summon her. Epona quickly galloped up to Link and he hopped right up onto her.

"Come on up." Link told Gerik. "There's plenty of room for two people. Zelda and I go for rides all the time."

"Thanks, but no thanks." said Gerik. "I'd prefer to just run if its alright by you."

"If you want, but I'll be at the entrance to the Lost Woods before you're even half way there."

"Don't worry about me. Let's just see how fast this horse of yours can really go."

Link just shrugged his shoulders and gave Epona a little tap signaling for her to begin a gallop. As Epona galloped toward the entrance to Hyrule Field, Gerik took off after them in a sprint. Before long Gerik caught up to and passed Epona. Link, with an expression of surprise on his face, tapped Epona again to make her go faster. As he started gaining on Gerik, he started picking up more speed to stay ahead of them. Link could not believe that someone could actually be that fast. He finally had Epona go full speed just to catch up with Gerik. Gerik didn't go any faster as they approached, so Link figured that he had reached his top speed as well.

"Wow!" exclaimed Gerik when Epona finally caught up. "I've never seen a horse that could match my speed before. I am extremely impressed with your horse."

"How the hell can you possibly be so fast!" asked Link.

"What part of **'fully trained Sheikah warrior' **didn't you get? I'm capable of many things that ordinary Hylians, yourself excluded of course, cannot do. I know that you've seen some of Impa's moves, but actually you haven't seen even a fourth of what she's capable of."

"So what makes Sheikahs so different from everybody else?"

"We're a warrior race. Our people have trained for centuries to hone our skills and abilities to their full potential. Before the kingdom of Hyrule was even here, the Sheikah race once had a mighty empire. It's no wonder why when Hyrule was formed the Sheikahs became its main defenders. It's such a shame that there's so few of us left now."

"What are you talking about? Kakariko Village is made up of mostly Sheikahs. That's where Impa was born and lived before becoming Zelda's guardian for heavens sake."

"The people of Kakariko Village are only half Sheikah. Over the years the distinction between Hylians and Sheikahs became nonexistent. Their blood is only half Sheikah now. Like I said before, along with Impa and a few others I am one of the only full blooded Sheikahs left."

"Are you telling me that only a full blooded Sheikah can perform the same feats as you?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Only a full blooded Sheikah will be able to do what I do. Don't get me wrong though; even if someone has even a drop of Sheikah blood they can still perform feats that ordinary Hylians can't. They just can't do what I do is all I'm saying."

"Weird. I never knew Impa, or any Sheikah for that matter, was so powerful. I mean I knew Impa was good, but not that good. Then again, when Zelda disguised as Sheik, she did have some pretty impressive moves which I can only guess came from training with Impa. She didn't have any Sheikah moves since she's Hylian, but still."

"Yeah well, you learn something new everyday. Ah finally, the entrance to Kokiri Forest."

They passed the two trees and entered the short little valley that led to the giant log which was the entrance to the Kokiri Forest. They passed through the log, crossed the bridge, and entered the forest. Without stopping they immediately headed to the entrance to the Lost Woods. Link thought about stopping by his house to pick up the rest of his weapons, but since he still didn't fully believe Gerik that there was a fleet of ships heading to Hyrule he decided against it.

As soon as they entered the Lost Woods Gerik started making his way through the trees. He slowed down so that he wouldn't get too far ahead because he knew that since Link was riding Epona it would be slow going through the numerous trees. Gerik also didn't want to lose them and then have to go back in search of them. Time was of the utmost importance and Gerik didn't have a moment to lose.

"Um, are you sure you know where you're going?" asked Link as he stared around at the unfamiliar surroundings. "I've never been in this deep before."

"Don't worry." said Gerik with the utmost confidence. "Remember, I've trained in these woods for the past three years. Others may get lost in here, but not me. I have these woods completely memorized. I know them like the back of my own hand."

"Okay, I get the idea already. You know where you're going. Any idea how long this will take?"

"Well if I was alone I could reach the end in about half an hour. Since you're with me though, I'd say at least an hour."

"Alright then. Let's get going."

The two of them didn't talk as they made their way through the woods. They hoped that by doing so they could get through faster. The deeper they got into the woods the more Link got confused. Gerik knew exactly where he was going though, or at least that's the way it looked. Link couldn't be sure.

As they got deeper and deeper, the trees got darker and darker. Soon all light from the sun was eclipsed by the dense foliage of the numerous trees. Because of this it was impossible for Link to tell what time of the day it was or even what direction they were traveling in. It was times like these that Link missed Navi the most. Sure she had gotten on his nerves sometimes, but she had been an excellent guide and companion.

As memories of Navi flooded back to him, he remembers how he had entered the Lost Woods in search of her. Even then he had not come in this deep. He still couldn't figure out why Navi had even disappeared in the first place. After returning to his childhood, Navi just up and left without saying a word. Next to Saria Navi had been his best friend, and she just abandoned him.

Link fought back the memories as the nearly complete darkness around them started to subside. The dense foliage above them was still there, but in the distance in front of them Link could see light. They had finally made it to the end of the Lost Woods. All weariness left Link as they approached the end of the woods.

Link had to shield his eyes as they emerged into the bright sunlight. He looked over at Gerik, but Gerik made no show that the sunlight bothered him at all. Once Link's eyes fully adjusted to the light, he removed his hand and looked around. Gerik had told him the truth. They were now standing on a beach. There was white sand all around them and the sounds of seagulls could be heard flying above them. The waves from the ocean crashed against the beach and washed up the shore all the way to their feet. It was one of the most beautiful sights Link had ever seen.

"Damn!" said Gerik as he looked out toward the ocean. "We lost more time than I had thought. They're nearly here."

Link now looked out over the ocean to see what Gerik was talking about. His jaw nearly dropped in disbelief at what he saw. Not too far away were at least a hundred ships. The ships were pure black as were their sails. They were narrow and their bows came to a sharp point. Even though Link had never seen a war vessel before, he knew that these ships were most definitely war vessels. There were no markings to indicate where they came from or who owned them, but as Link stared at them he felt an evil presence about them.

"Oh my god." said Link still in disbelief. "You were right. How long before they land?"

"Judging by their speed I'd say less then an hour." Gerik replied. "Come on, we have to warn the king about this. Once they land they're going to start burning the Lost Woods to the ground until they have a clear path to Hyrule Castle."

"But that means that Kokiri Forest will be burned down as well and all the Kokiri will be killed."

"It is unfortunate yes, but we have to get to the king and warn him about this. The sooner he knows the sooner an army can be raised to defend Hyrule."

"No! I may be a Hylian but I grew up in the Kokiri Forest. That is my home and the Kokiri are my friends and family. I will not abandon them."

"But Link, you have to think of the bigger picture. We don't have the time to waste."

"I'm not abandoning them! Once they are safe, and only once they are safe, will we head to the castle and warn the king. Now let's go." said Link as he turned Epona around and headed back into the Lost Woods

"Stubborn Hylian!" Gerik said to himself.


	4. Chapter 3

Link sped through the Lost Woods as fast as he could, Gerik close on his heels. Link was in a state of desperation. By the size of the enemy fleet he knew that there would be no way to save the Kokiri Forest, but he was determined to make sure that there would be no casualties. He would ensure the safety of the Kokiri at all costs. Everything else just came in second.

Gerik still wanted to go straight to Hyrule Castle, but he knew now that there was no hope of changing Link's mind. He knew that a huge war was coming, a war of which nobody could've imagined in even their worst nightmare. Gerik also knew that there were going to be hundreds, if not thousands of casualties. He was positive that Link had figured this out already so he couldn't figure out why the lives of only a few dozen were so important.

In no time at all Link was passing by familiar areas of the Lost Woods. As he got closer and closer to the Kokiri Forest, Link began to wonder where he was going to have everyone evacuate to. If Hyrule was the target of these invaders, then having them leave the forest would put them right back into the same danger. He had to find someplace within the forest where they would be safe and protected.

As he sped through the woods he came upon the entrance to the Sacred Meadow. Link stopped Epona short and Gerik nearly crashed right into them. Link just sat their atop Epona staring into the meadow. Without saying a word Gerik looked into the meadow as well, but he had no idea what Link was staring at.

"Um Link, we are running on a tight schedule here." said Gerik. "What the hell are you doing? Link?"

"The Forest Temple, of course!" shouted Link. "They'll be safe in there. Saria will protect them if anything. Come on Gerik, let's go."

Link tapped Epona and was once again speeding through the woods towards his home. Gerik just shook his head in confusion and ran after them. He didn't want to question what that was all about; he was just glad that they were almost out of the woods. As they exited the woods Link continued to gallop full speed. He headed straight for his house and stopped right in front of it. Link then hopped off of Epona and ran toward Saria's house. Gerik not knowing what Link was up to just stood next to Epona and waited.

Upon reaching Saria's house Link quickly ran up the ramp that ran up along her house and led to the top of the pillar which stood in the middle of the Kokiri Forest. Link had placed a large bell on that pillar long ago just for this sort of emergency. It was toward this bell that he was now running. Link grabbed the string that extended down out of the bell and swung it back and forth ringing the bell.

The bell sounded all throughout the Kokiri Forest. All of the Kokiri, upon hearing the bell, rushed out and to the pillar to see what was going on. Mido stuck his head out of the door of his house and upon seeing that it was Link ringing the bell, grudgingly walked out of his house and to where everyone else was gathering. When Link saw that everyone had gathered, he stopped ringing the bell.

"My friends," he began, "I have some grave news. There is a huge army heading this way through the Lost Woods. They are going to burn everything in their path, including the Kokiri Forest when they get here."

There are gasps among all of the Kokiri as Link is saying this; that is all of them except Mido. He is just standing at the back with his arms folded and the same scowl on his face as always.

"When they finally get here," Link continued, "they will not think twice about slaughtering all of you. As of yet I do not know what these people want, but I do know that it involves the destruction of Hyrule for them to have brought an army of this magnitude. I alone am not strong enough to take them all on by myself; therefore I am asking you all to evacuate the Kokiri Forest. You all must abandon your homes if there is to be any chance of survival."

"And why should we believe a word you say?" asked Mido. "Where's your proof?"

"Excuse me if I didn't wait for them to sign a piece of paper for me telling you that they're on their way to destroy you. Why would I be making something like this up?"

"I don't know; maybe for some fun. You have been acting like you've been bored a lot recently."

"You know what Mido, forget it. If you don't believe me then just stay here. The same goes for the rest of you. If you don't believe me then just go about your lives normally, but if you do then go to your homes and take whatever you deem necessary. Chances are whatever you leave behind will be destroyed, so choose wisely what you bring. I also need you to fill as many jars of water as you can and gather up as much food as you can. When that's all done raid the shop and take everything. I want you to gather all the Deku Shields, Deku Sticks, and Deku Nuts that you can for protection. Hopefully you will never have to use them, but it's better to be safe then sorry. Okay then, let's get to work."

Link hopped down off of the pillar and headed over to Gerik. All of the Kokiri meanwhile ran over to their homes to grab their possessions and do as Link had requested. Mido just stood there in disbelief as everyone except himself ran to their homes. He then threw his arms up into the air in submission and slowly walked over to his own house.

Link passed right by Gerik without saying a word and headed behind his house. Gerik followed wondering what Link was up to. Behind Link's house was a large wagon. Link had constructed it several years ago to bring goods from Hyrule Market to the Kokiri Forest.

"Alright Gerik," Link said, "I need you to take this wagon and hitch it up to Epona. Have all the Kokiri put their possessions, food, water and weapons inside. I have some things to take care of."

"If it'll make things go faster then I'll do whatever you want me to." Gerik replied.

As Gerik pulled the wagon over to Epona, Link ran to the front of his house and climbed the ladder to get inside. Hanging on all of the walls of his house were the weapons, both kid and adult, that he had gathered when fighting Ganon seven years ago. Link walked over to his bed and spread out the blanket that was laying on top of it. Link then walked around his house taking his Boomerang, Slingshot and Bullet Seed Bag, Goron Bracelet, and Hylian Shield off of the walls and placing them neatly in the middle of his blanket. When they were arranged neatly Link reached into his boot, pulled out the Kokiri Sword, and placed that on top of the blanket as well. He folded the sides and then tied them together to create a bundle.

Link put the bundle by his door and turned to grab the rest of his gear. The first thing he did was take off his Zora tunic and don his traditional Green tunic, which was now battle-worn and torn in a few places. He took the Mirror Shield from the wall and placed that on his back. He then grabbed the Fairy Bow and the quiver of arrows and threw them around his back as well. He grabbed both the Hookshot and the Longshot and attached them to his belt. He did the same with the Bomb Bag. The rest of his gear (tunics, boots, and weapons) he just tossed out of his house so he could place them in the wagon.

With Link's house now empty, he took the bundle he had made earlier and jumped out. When he looked up he saw that the wagon was already loaded with the Kokiri's possessions and the food, water, and weapons were being loaded on now. Link grabbed all the stuff he had tossed out of his house and placed them in the wagon away from everyone else's stuff. He then took the bundle and placed it on top. As Link turned around to see what he could do to help, he saw Mido putting his stuff into the wagon as well.

"I thought that I was making this whole thing up." Link said mockingly to Mido.

"Yeah well, I still don't believe you." he replied. "I just don't want to stay here by myself."

"Whatever lets you sleep at night. Let's just get this done."

When the wagon was loaded with everything that was going, Link hopped on top of Epona. The wagon was completely full, so the Kokiri were going to have to walk. It didn't really matter though since Link couldn't make Epona go too fast for fear of tipping the wagon. Link gave the signal and they all started making their way toward the Lost Woods.

"Wait a minute!" shouted one of the female Kokiri. "What about the Deku Tree Sprout? What's going to happen to him?"

"Oh crap!" shouted Link. "Gerik, lead them on to the Forest Temple. I'll catch up with you shortly."

Link quickly jumped off of Epona and ran as fast as he could to where the Deku Tree Sprout was. Gerik did as he was asked and continued to lead the Kokiri to the Forest Temple. Link meanwhile hopped over the small river that ran through the forest and entered the Deku Tree's meadow. The decaying remains of the original Deku Tree were still there, and situated under them was the Deku Tree Sprout.

"I know why you have come." he said.

"Then you know what is about to happen?" asked Link.

"Yes, and I am prepared to die."

"Die? But won't you just plant another sprout like your predecessor did?"

"I am still too young Hero of Time. I have only a little control over my powers. As such, I will not be able to continue the Deku Tree line. If I die, then there will never again be another Great Deku Tree."

"But, I can't just leave you here to die."

"You have already led my children to safety. That is much more than I could have asked of you. Do not worry about me. While my powers aren't strong enough to hold back this dark army, I will use what little power I have to slow their advance."

"But I can't just leave you."

"You must. You are the Hero of Time. Hyrule needs you once again. You cannot abandon the kingdom. My life is insignificant compared to all the lives that now depend on you. My life will not be the only one lost in the days to come, but if you don't stop worrying and start doing your duty then all will be lost. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Good, then get going. Trust the Sheikah. He does not know it yet, but he is to become a key player in the events about to unfold. Also, in order to push back this growing darkness you must unite the races of Hyrule. Only by doing so will Hyrule continue to have a future."

"But how am I to accomplish that?"

"Time is short and I do not have all the answers. You must go to Hyrule Castle as soon as possible. There you will meet another who can answer all the questions that you seek. Now go Hero of Time. You are the only hope for Hyrule."

"Goodbye, Deku Tree."

With that Link runs off to catch up to the others. He knows that if he runs the whole way he should be able to catch up to them before they reach the Forest Temple. As he enters the Lost Woods he looks up and sees the sun beginning to set. It wouldn't be long now before nightfall. They had maybe one or two hours left. Going to Hyrule Castle today was now out of the question. Link knew that they were going to have to spend the night in the Kokiri Forest and head out at dawn.

Link finally caught up to them about halfway through the Sacred Meadow. The saddened look on his face was all the answer the Kokiri needed. They knew that the Deku Tree Sprout must have chosen death otherwise Link would not have the look on his face that he did. Mido was about to make a smug comment about how Link was leaving the Deku Tree to die, but the way all the other Kokiri were acting he didn't want to chance them turning on him.

When they reached the Forest Temple everybody stopped and rested. The ramp leading to the temple was still destroyed, so the only way up there was by the hookshot or longshot. Link unhooked his longshot and fired it at the hanging tree branch. He flew through the air and landed on top of the broken ramp.

"Okay Gerik," he said, "start handing me up all the stuff."

Gerik hopped up into the wagon and one by one started handing all the weapons, food, water, and possessions to Link. Link in turn took the stuff and placed it all neatly in the room behind him. When everything was up except for Link's weapons, Link jumped down and landed in the wagon. He then unhooked the hookshot from his belt and gave it to Gerik.

"All right Gerik. We'll take them up one by one. You do know how to use that thing, right?"

"Of course, piece of cake."

"Good, then let's do this."

Just as Link said, one by one they each brought the Kokiri up to the temple. With one hand they held on to the hookshot/longshot, and with the other they held on to one of the Kokiri. Link made sure that Mido was last and that it was Gerik who brought him up. As Gerik did that, Link grabbed the bundle he made and used his longshot to once again go up into the temple.

"Okay everyone," Link said when he got up there, "there are no longer any monsters in here so it's completely safe. I doubt anyone would waste their time searching for you here. Just go in as deep as you can and everything will be alright. I'll see you all again. I promise."

All the Kokiri started picking up their possessions first and headed into the temple as Link had suggested. As Mido was picking up his things, Link walked over and handed him the bundle in his hand.

"What th hell is this?" Mido shouted.

"Listen Mido, I know that you and I have never seen eye to eye, but you are the best warrior among the Kokiri. If anything happens, it'll be up to you to save them. I have done all I can for you guys. Just as I must go and protect my own people, it is time for you to protect yours. Goodbye Mido."

"Hold up Link. Just between you and me; you don't believe that you're coming back from this, do you?"

"I don't know. I'm not worried about coming back or not though. What I'm worried about is whether Hyrule will survive this coming war."

"Well. . .well. . .good luck."

"Thanks."

With those words of encouragement Link and Mido turn away from each other. Link headed outside to where Gerik was waiting and Mido started walking inside the Forest Temple, taking a peek at what was inside the bundle as he did. When Link reached the outside he saw Gerik sitting in the wagon.

"Hey Gerik," said Link, "I know that you wanted to head to the castle, but it's getting late. We'll never make it there before nightfall."

"So, it's not like they raise the drawbridge anymore." said Gerik.

"Yeah, but do you really think we'll be in any shape to tell the king about what's going on without a full night's rest?"

"I guess not, but we're leaving at dawn tomorrow."

"No problem. Now come on; we can sleep in the Kokiri Forest."

Link hopped into the wagon as well and had Epona begin a trot back toward the Kokiri Forest. After all that he had gone through today, Link could finally rest. Link knew that the coming days were not going to be fun. This was going to be far worse then what he had gone through with Ganon. At least with Ganon he did everything by himself, mostly, but there was no way he could take on this entire army by himself.

As they approached the exit of the Sacred Meadow, Gerik stood up all of a sudden. He stopped Epona and when Link went to question him he shut Link up. He just stood there listening and staring out into the Lost Woods. He then grabbed Link and dragged him into a nearby bush.

Link was about to yell, but Gerik covered Link's mouth with his hand. Gerik then pointed into the woods and Link looked. Emerging from the woods were four Lizalfos and one, presumably the leader, Dinolfos. They were just walking through the woods looking around, probably searching for any spies.

"What are they doing here?" Link whispered.

"They must be advance scouts." replied Gerik. "They're probably here to make sure that no one is yet alerted to their presence. I think we should show these guys some hospitality. You take the Dinolfos; the Lizalfos are mine."

Before Link could even say anything Gerik jumped out of the bush with both swords drawn. He used his incredible speed to quickly kill two of the Lizalfos before they even knew they were under attack. After they were dead though, the other two drew their weapons and charged at Gerik.

The Dinolfos drew his weapon and was about to join in as well, but Link by this time had already drawn his sword and charged at him. Their swords clashed and sparks shot out from the impact. Link had fought these guys before and knew exactly how to get by their defenses. Link swung his sword sideways expecting the Dinolfos to block, but instead it jumped up and over Link. Link was caught off guard and the Dinolfos slashed Link in his back. Luckily, Link had rolled forward to avoid a killing blow.

When Link came out of the roll he reached into his pocket and pulled out several Deku Nuts. He threw them at the Dinolfos blinding him. Link used this opening to charge forward and completely sever the Dinolfos head off. While the head was still rolling on the ground Link turned to see how Gerik was doing.

Gerik had killed another of the Lizalfos, but the last one was giving him some trouble. Link noticed that Gerik was holding the sword in his left hand a little low, but then remembered that that was the shoulder he had thrown the Kokiri Sword into. Link grimaced as the Lizalfos scored a small cut on Gerik's leg, but the Lizalfos had left himself open to a counterattack and Gerik slammed both swords down into the Lizalfos back.

"Not bad." said Link.

"Not bad yourself." said Gerik as he yanked his swords out and started wiping the blood off.

When both Link and Gerik had cleaned off their swords they grabbed the bodies and started pulling them into the bushes. If there were any more patrols around they didn't want the dead bodies to be found. When Gerik picked up the Dinolfos head though, he tossed it into the wagon instead.

"What did you do that for?" asked Link.

"Proof!"


	5. Chapter 4

Link finished chopping the rest of the firewood he and Gerik would be needing for the night and walked over to the small campfire the two of them had made in the middle of the Kokiri Forest. Gerik was just sitting by the fire with his back up against a large rock. He was cleaning and sharpening his two blades. Link meanwhile was continuing the satchels he was making for Epona to carry all his weapons in. He needed Epona to be able to go as fast as possible, and that was impossible if she had to lug the wagon along. She would still be slowed a little by the weight of Link's weapons, but it was better.

The night sky above them was clear and the nearly full moon and stars shown brightly. All was quiet except for the occasional crackle from the fire. The bloody, severed head of the Dinolfos was still sitting in the wagon, but Gerik had made himself a bag to carry it in when they left for the castle in the morning. There had been little spoken between the two since the battle, but both of them had gained a certain respect for the other that hadn't been there before. They were like two long lost brothers.

"So," Gerik said breaking the silence, "do you still believe that it was necessary to save the Kokiri?"

"We've been over this." replied Link. "Of course I still believe what we did was necessary."

"Just making sure man. I mean, I don't want us to have wasted all this time doing this and later on you regret it."

"Well that's not going to happen. I would defend the Kokiri with my dying breath if it would save them. Wouldn't you do the same thing for your family?"

"I. . .I don't have a family."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's all right; how could you have known? I was abandoned as a baby on Impa's doorstep. I have no clue who either of my parents were or even any memories of them. My earliest memory is of Impa playing with me in the small garden behind her house."

"Wow, Impa playing. Now that is something that I cannot imagine."

"Yeah well, they say that everybody has two sides to themselves. Somehow Impa knew that I was Sheikah, and more importantly a full-blooded Sheikah. When I was of age she began teaching me in the Sheikah ways. When she became Zelda's nanny I guess you could say, I went along with her. Impa's the closest thing I have to a mother."

"Well have you ever talked to her about it? Maybe she knows who your parents were. I mean, you said it yourself that somehow she knew you were Sheikah."

"We've only talked about it once, and that was when I was little. She told me that my parents had left me on her doorstep and it was left at that. We never talked about it again after that."

"Well maybe you should talk to her. You can do it when we get to the castle. What's the worst that can happen?"

"I don't know, but that's what I'm afraid of. Besides, some things are just better left forgotten."

"You and I are more alike than I thought. I'm an orphan as well. I have absolutely no idea who my dad is, or if I even had a dad, but I know that my mom died to save my life. I was a baby also when this happened. I don't know all the details, but this is what the Deku Tree told me. He said that my mom had entered the forest carrying me in her arms. There were fatal wounds all over her body. With her dying breath she asked the Great Deku Tree to take me in and raise me as one of his children, as a Kokiri."

"So that's why you wanted to protect them. Well at least you know that your mother loved you."

"You never know; maybe your parents left you on Impa's doorstep for the same reason my mother did so."

"Somehow I don't think so. I'd rather not talk about this anymore."

Once again only the crackle of the fire broke through the silence of the night as their discussion died down. The hooting of owls scouring the woods for their evening dinner could now be heard as well. To Link the hooting brought back memories of Kaepora Gaebora, the owl that had helped Link with his adventure seven years ago. Link hadn't seen him since returning from the future victorious over Ganon. Link wasn't even sure if he was still alive or not.

Link finished the satchels he was making and put them aside for later. He then lay back carefully, because his back still hurt from the cut he received, against a nearby wall and closed his eyes. The days events had exhausted him. He hadn't had to do so much since the days of Ganon. As he lay there he could hear the metallic scraping of Gerik continuing to sharpen his two blades.

"Hey Link," he said suddenly, "there's been something I've been meaning to ask you ever since we met."

"So go ahead and ask it." he replied as he opened his eyes and looked at Gerik.

"Are you and Zelda an item?"

"What?" Link exclaimed blushingly. "No, of course not! We're just friends; nothing more. Whatever gave you that idea anyway?"

"Well, it's just that Zelda always spoke so highly of you, and you could've already had any woman in this kingdom if you really wanted to. I just put two and two together. It's not like Zelda is going out and finding any suitors herself."

"Well you're wrong; we are just very good friends. Why are you asking anyway? Do you like her?"

"I'll admit that she's one of the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, but I won't go so far as to say that I like her. She's nice and all, but I just don't see the two of us together. Actually, I have yet to find a woman who I can see myself with for the rest of my life. This may be hard to believe since I'm so blindingly handsome, but I've never had a girlfriend."

"Oh yeah, you're so blindingly handsome, and I'm the King of Hyrule."

"Hey! Don't mock me. If I wanted to I could take you down right here right now."

"If I remember correctly, you said that only the Hero of Time could defeat you. That means you have no hope of beating me in a fight. Besides, I'm not the one sitting here with a hole in my shoulder."

"Well I was going easy on you. I didn't want to accidently kill you if you weren't the Hero of Time."

"Say what you will, but you have no chance against me. Besides, even if we do fight, what happens if one of us slips and kills the other. That isn't exactly going to help our cause."

Gerik nodded in approval with a smirk on his face as he got up off the ground and walked over to one of the houses. He went into the house and came out with two deku sticks, one in each hand. Link just looked on in anticipation of his next move. Gerik saw Link watching and tossed him one of the sticks.

"Let's go fairy boy." Gerik taunted. "Let's see what you're really capable of."

"Alright," said Link with a grin, "you asked for it."

* * *

The sun rose bright and sunny the following morning. The red orange hue it gave off radiated across the ocean and through the Lost Woods like a wild fire. The hundred or so black ships that were anchored off shore only grew more menacing as the light from the sun hit them. On the shore itself were over a hundred rowboats. A camp had been built just outside the range of the Lost Woods and only now were the warriors within beginning to stir and wake. 

Out on the water was a lone rowboat rowing back to the flagship of the fleet of ships. The flagship was the biggest vessel of them all. Though it truly wasn't, the ship seemed blacker than all the rest. Weapons of war lined it's hull and deck. Carved underneath the ram that extended from the bow of the ship was a smiling skeleton that was holding two crooked swords across his chest. This was easily the most menacing ship of the entire fleet.

When the rowboat reached the ship, a rope ladder was thrown down and the warrior inside the rowboat climbed up. The warrior himself was dressed all in black. He had on no armor, but a mail shirt could be seen underneath his regular black shirt. There was a black turban wrapped around his head and there was a large saber hanging from his belt.

The warrior headed to a rather large cabin. The entrance was guarded by two heavily armed and armored knights. They were dressed head to toe in brilliantly shining blue armor. Kite shields made of the same metal were lying next to them and hanging from their belts were very sharp long swords. The long swords were made even deadlier by the fact that there were teeth in several places of the blades.

The knights opened the door to the cabin and the warrior walked inside. The room within was dark. There were no windows in the room, so the only light came from candles that were hanging from the walls. Toward the back of the room sat a rather large throne. There was someone sitting in it, a rather large someone, but his face was veiled in darkness. The warrior walked over to the throne and bowed.

"My lord," began the warrior, "one of the patrols we sent out yesterday has yet to return. We have yet to find their bodies."

"So then our presence has not gone unnoticed." replied the man in a deep and sinister voice.

"That may not be true sire. It may be the woods themselves. The trees. . .they're magical or something. All the Stalfos that enter the woods are immediately purified and destroyed. Also, no matter what we do we cannot burn the trees."

"You fool! These woods are enchanted. Can't you sense the spirits of the forest all over the place? Mere axes and torches will not be enough to take down these trees. There is a higher power at work here."

"So what is our next course of action?"

"Send in the Wizzrobes. I'm sure they can find a way to burn these trees down within those magic books of theirs. Now if there is nothing else, leave me."

"At once my liege."

* * *

Link and Gerik zoomed by Lon Lon Ranch and raced onward toward Hyrule Castle. The two of them were covered in bruises and several small cuts. Their Deku Stick battle the following night had lasted well into the night with no clear winner. Finally, the two of them were forced to declare a tie just so they could get some sleep. The two of them were sore and tired, but they raced onward to Hyrule Castle because they knew what they had to do. 

They crossed the drawbridge and entered Hyrule Market. Without stopping they raced through the city and to Hyrule Castle. The guards stopped them at the gate, but upon seeing that it was Link they allowed passage. Link hopped off of Epona and while she was led off to the stables, he and Gerik walked past the now open gate and to the castle.

Gerik was amazed by the splendor of the castle as they entered. Extravagant curtains and rugs lined the hallways. All the furniture was made of the highest quality and many had designs that Gerik had never seen before in his entire life. Gerik wasn't even paying attention to where they were going. As he and Link were walking toward the throne room, Gerik just continued to look around.

Link had not been in the castle for several months, yet everyone inside still remembered him. All the servants he was always friendly toward and many of the knights he had faced in duels. He always won, but none of the knights could figure out how or why. Link always wanted to tell them after duels not to feel bad since he was the Hero of Time, but he didn't want the attention that would come from it. As they approached the throne room Link saw that the doors were closed and two Royal Guards were standing outside.

"Hello Link." said one of the guards. "I'm sorry, but Zelda's not inside. She's still in her room. I can go send somebody to fetch her if you like."

"Maybe later, but right now I need to speak with the king."

"His majesty is very busy. May I ask what this concerns."

"It concerns the safety of Hyrule. Something bad is about to happen and I need to warn the king."

"This better not be a joke."

"Never! What I say is the truth, and the more time we waste here the worse off Hyrule will be."

"I'll be right back. You two just sit down over there and wait."

The guard ran into the throne room as Link and Gerik went to sit down in two plush armchairs that were sitting outside the throne room. Gerik was still amazed by the splendor of the castle, but all Link was concerned about at the moment was informing the king about the impending doom Hyrule was facing.

"Well, this should be a cinch." said Gerik as he continued to stare in awe at the walls around them. "Once we get an audience with the king, all you have to do is speak and he'll believe you. I mean, who wouldn't believe the Hero of Time?"

"He doesn't know that I'm the Hero of Time." replied Link.

"What?"

"The only two people in the castle who know are Zelda and Impa. Everyone else had their memories wiped when I returned to the past and I never felt the need to tell them. As far as they're concerned, the Hero of Time is a legend and nothing more."

"But why didn't you tell the king at least? I mean, think of all the honors you would've received."

"I'm not in this for the honors. I'm in it because it's my duty. Besides, one of those honors would've included making me a knight of Hyrule. That is something I want no part of. I prefer to be on my own and do what I want."

"The king will see you now." said the Royal Guard as he opened the doors to the throne room for them.

Link and Gerik got up and walked into the throne room. Surprisingly, it wasn't the most extravagant room in the castle. Link knew that was so because the king didn't want himself to feel superior to everyone else. Even though he was king, he treated everyone as equals. At the end of the room were three thrones; one for the king, one for the queen, and one for Zelda. Sitting in the middle throne was King Hyrule.

"So, Link my boy," stated King Hyrule, "my guards tell me that you bring dire news."

"Yes, I do. Hyrule is being invaded by an evil army. They have already landed on Hyrule's shore."

"Shore? Hyrule has no shore."

"I didn't think so at first either, but I've seen it with my own two eyes. It's on the other side of the Lost Woods. I've also seen the enemy army, and it is huge."

"I suppose you have some proof of this."

"Yes, I do." said Gerik stepping forward.

"Gerik, is that you?" asked King Hyrule. "I haven't seen you in what. . .three years. You've grown."

"Thank you, but we can catch up later. Take a look at this." stated Gerik as he tossed the Dinolfos' head on the floor."

"Now there haven't been any monsters in Hyrule for the past seven years." said Link. "He was part of an advance scout that Gerik and I jumped. Believe me when I say that there are thousands more waiting on the other side of the Lost Woods."

"Good God!" exclaimed King Hyrule. "How long before they attack?"

"Four, maybe five days." said Gerik.

"That doesn't give us much time. I'll start raising an army immediately. We will not be caught off guard."

"It won't be enough." said Link. "You need to send out riders. You need to call for aid."

"Of course. I'll send messengers to the Gorons and Zoras immediately."

"Ask the Gerudo for aid as well." stated Gerik.

"Never! They are a bunch of thieves. They care only for themselves. They will not come to our aid. Even if they do, they will expect something in return; something that I probably won't be able to give them."

"Your majesty!" yelled a knight that had just run into the throne room all out of breath. "Black smoke. . .is rising. . .from the East!

"Oh my god." said Link. "The Lost Woods are burning."

"It's begun then." said Gerik. "The war has begun."


	6. Chapter 5

Link and Gerik dashed out of the throne room and out onto the castle walls. There were knights and citizens all over the place looking and pointing to the East and gasping in fear. It was just as the knight had said; black smoke was rising from the East. The smoke was still far off meaning that the fire had only just begun on the outskirts of the Lost Woods, but the fact that the woods were on fire made everyone who saw fearful. Every second they watched more and more smoke rose up into what had been a clear and beautiful morning sky.

As they continued to watch, Link heard a familiar gasp come from his left. He turned to see Zelda standing there with both hands up to her mouth in complete shock as she looked out onto the now darkening horizon. She was wearing her usual royal gown and her hair was tied into a long braid down her back. As she turned to run back into the castle, she caught sight of Link. After doing a double take to make sure it was really him standing there, she ran over to him and gave him a big hug.

"Link!" she cried. "It's so good to see you. What brings you to the castle after all this time? Oh no! Your coming has something to do with that black smoke; doesn't it?"

"I'm afraid so." replied Link as he was released from her embrace. "Hyrule is facing dark days once more."

"That's alright, just completely ignore me." said Gerik jokingly as he stepped out from behind Link. "I guess there's just no room for old friends here."

"Gerik!" Zelda exclaimed as she ran over and hugged him as well. "I can't believe it. I thought I'd never see you again. You've grown."

"And so have you. You're no longer that mousy little girl I used to tease all the time."

"I really hate to break up this little reunion," interrupted Link, "but Hyrule is standing on death's doorstep."

"Right." said Zelda turning all serious. "You two better come with me."

"But don't you want to know what's going on?" asked Gerik.

"I already know. I just learned about it no more than an hour ago. I didn't want to say anything until I had some proof. I'm guessing that you two already informed my father."

"Yeah, but how do you know?" asked Link dumfounded. "Did the Sages say anything?"

"No, I didn't learn about it from them. Just follow me and everything will be revealed in my room."

Zelda took off into the castle. Link and Gerik just stared at each other in shock by this news and followed after her. Neither of them could believe what they had just heard. As far as they knew, it was only the two of them that knew about the army and had actually seen the black ships. They could only stare at each other as they wondered who, if not the Sages, knew what was going on besides themselves.

Zelda wasn't running to her room, but she was walking fast. Link and Gerik had to run to catch up since they were still a little in shock. Besides that, the soreness in their bodies was creeping up on them again, and it wasn't that easy for them to move without a little pain or discomfort. When Zelda reached her room she just burst the door open and walked in. Link and Gerik entered a few seconds after, but Gerik stopped dead in his tracks when he walked in.

There, sitting on Zelda's bed, was the most beautiful woman Gerik had ever seen. Her long, flowing brown hair was tied in a braid running down her back just like Zelda. She was dressed from head to toe in shining, golden armor that conformed to the curves of her body, of which she was very curvaceous, almost like a second skin. She had a smile that could light up a room, and she seemed to have a glow about her. Gerik just stood there in shock, but Link simply smiled back at her when she smiled at him.

"Link, it's so good to see you again." the mysterious woman said in a voice that seemed oddly familiar to Link.

"I'm sorry," said Link a little embarrassed, "but have we met before?"

"Uh–oh no, I'm sorry." she replied all flustered. "We've never met, but I've seen you walking around Hyrule Market from time to time."

"Really?" said Link a little leery. "Then how come I've never noticed you? I'm positive I would've noticed another warrior walking around."

"Um. . .um. . .uh. . .well you see. . ."

"Link, will you stop pestering the poor girl!" Zelda demanded. "She's here to help us. I'm sure that any questions pertaining to her personally can be asked at another time."

"You're right, now's not the time." said Link apologetically, but still leery nonetheless. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." replied the woman, the redness in her cheeks after Link cornered her disappearing. "I'm sure I'd be a little leery as well if somebody popped out of nowhere with information that nobody else knows."

"Yes, Gerik and I have been wondering about exactly what you know. Isn't that right Gerik? Gerik?"

"Huh, uh, oh yeah, whatever you just said." replied Gerik as he was just now coming out of his shock.

"Anyway," continued Link, rolling his eyes as he did so, "so what can you tell us about this army."

"I think it would be better if I showed you." replied the woman.

"Show us, but how are you going to do that?" asked Zelda, her interest peaking.

The woman didn't respond, but instead stood up from Zelda's bed. She placed her hands together flat in front of her chest and closed her eyes. She then began chanting something, but nobody could hear what she was saying. All they could see were her lips moving. As Link, Zelda, and Gerik all watched, the woman's hands began to glow a faint blue color. She started pulling her hands apart and everyone could see that there was now a glowing, little blue ball in her hands.

When her hands were at least a foot away from each other with the glowing ball floating directly between them, the woman thrust her arms out and the ball flew toward the middle of the floor. Upon impact it flattened out and grew larger. When it was no longer a ball but a large glowing circle on the floor of Zelda's room did she stop saying her enchantment. Everyone cautiously stepped toward the glowing circle and peered into it. Through the circle they had a bird's eye view of the outskirts of the Lost Woods, where the fires were now ravaging.

"How. . .how is this possible?" asked Zelda, for she had never done a spell that even came close to this.

"I'm. . .old friends with the Deku Tree." said the woman all out of breath. "The Deku Tree Sprout has allowed me to use the spirits of the forest as spies for the time being."

"This is beautiful." complimented Gerik. "I've never seen a more beautifully crafted spell before."

"Yes, it truly is." said Link, now wondering what she meant when she said that she was 'old friends with the Deku Tree.'

"You're making me blush." she replied, more to Gerik's comments than to Link's. "Anyway, down to business. If you'll look through the portal, you'll be able to see everything that is currently going on at the enemy's camp."

The scene in the portal was changing, as if whatever it was spying on the enemy was flying overhead examining everything. As it got closer the scene was blocked out by the immense black smoke rising from the burning woods. As it passed by the smoke, they could all see that a substantial amount of trees had already been burned. It wasn't really that much compared to the size of the Lost Woods, but given that the fires only started a little while ago it was a lot.

Standing by the burnt stumps of already burned down trees were several dozen people dressed in either blue or red robes. The robes covered their entire bodies, and the hoods of the robes made seeing their faces impossible. All that could be seen from the darkness of the hoods were a pair of penetrating eyes. Each one of them was holding what looked like a wand in one hand and a book in the other.

As Link, Gerik, and Zelda continued to look into the portal, they saw that the robed figures were moving forward slowly as more and more of the trees burned down. They then watched, with increasing interest, as one of the robed figures raised the arm holding the wand in the air and with a flick of his wrist flames shot out of the wand and into a so far untouched tree.

"What the hell are those?" shouted Gerik.

"They are called Wizzrobes." replied the woman with an unwavering voice. "They are very powerful sorcerers and masters of the dark arts. They are not to be taken lightly at all. As powerful as they are though, they are only the second most powerful units of this army."

"Only the second most powerful?" said Zelda, her voice becoming fearful. "Their powers could rival mine, and I'm a sage. And on top of that you're saying that there are stronger units to this army?"

"Shhh." said Link. "The scene is changing."

Both Zelda and Gerik were a little worried by the fact that Link didn't sound the least bit worried about what they just heard, but looked into the portal nonetheless. Sure enough, as Link had said, the view was moving past the Wizzrobes and toward the camp that had been made on the shore.

There were hundreds of orange tents all lined up in neat rows. Moving among all the tents were the warriors dressed all in black. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of them walking around. Some of them were practicing their fighting techniques, others were eating, and still others were running around doing various errands. Whatever they were doing though, it was obvious that they were waiting for the Lost Woods to burn down so they could start their invasion.

"What you are looking at is what makes up approximately fifty percent of the army." said the woman. "They are the bulk of the army; the main contingent of soldiers. Despite being just regular soldiers though, they are very skilled warriors. They're nothing that you guys can't handle, but remember that there is strength in numbers."

"Do they have a special name of their own?" asked Link very casually.

"They're referred to as Arcanites. Since they're just the regular soldiers, they're named after their leader. We'll get to him shortly though. Let's just continue to watch."

They all turned back to find that the view was changing once more. The camp disappeared as the view went out to sea, and to the fleet of black ships. The forest spirit, or whatever it was that was spying, hovered in the air allowing a view of the majority of the fleet. Link and Gerik had already seen the ships, but Zelda was aghast. She couldn't believe the menacing look those ships gave off.

The view now moved to only one of the ships, the flagship. Link and Gerik had not noticed this ship when they saw the fleet last, and the appearance of the enemy flagship turned their heads. They thought the fleet itself was bad, but just seeing this one ship alone was enough to make them forget everything else.

"What we are currently looking at is the enemy's flagship." continued the woman. "It is on board this ship that their leader now resides, as well as the most dangerous units of the entire army. They are called Darknuts."

"Darknuts!" laughed Gerik. "What kind of stupid name is that."

"They are not something to be taken lightly!" shouted the woman, her voice becoming extremely serious. "The Darknuts are the most elite units ever created. Even one of them is more than a match for you guys. Their armor is nearly impenetrable, their weapons the deadliest ever created, and their skills surpassed by no one."

"Oh please, they're probably pushovers."

"You cocky son-of-a-bitch! You can't even begin to comprehend the training they must go through. First of all, only the most highly skilled of the Arcanites can even apply to become a Darknut. Now the training and tests they go through are heavily guarded secrets, but of the thousands that apply, maybe only a hundred actually succeed."

"What happens to all the others?" asked Zelda.

"They die. Only by surviving all the training and tests can one become a Darknut. It's really a very simple process. If you were meant to become a Darknut, then you'll succeed. If not, well then better luck in the next life."

"So these are some really serious people that we're up against?" said Link, a tiny bit of tension in his voice. "This isn't going to be as easy as I thought, and even then I didn't think it would be that easy."

"Wait a minute." said Gerik cautiously, fearing another verbal attack. "Back in the Lost Woods Link and I faced a bunch of Lizalfos and a Dinolfos. Where do they fit into this army?"

"They are nothing more than creatures of darkness." said the woman, her voice once again calm and sweet. "Any sorcerer with even a little knowledge of the black arts could create an army of them. That's why Ganon's army was mostly made up of them; he was a very powerful warlock. Of course, boosting his powers with the Triforce didn't help much either."

"So this leader has some knowledge of the black arts?" asked Link.

"Not just some knowledge I'm afraid. He is an extremely powerful sorcerer, and also an extremely skilled warrior. He is far more deadlier than Ganon ever was."

"Impossible!" screamed Link. "I faced Ganon when he used the Triforce of Power to increase his power, and there is nobody that can even come close to that kind of power."

The woman didn't say anything, but instead looked down at her feet. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but whether she was to tell them later or it was a secret they did not know. It was clear that the woman was struggling to figure out what to do, so Zelda decided to change the subject.

"So what is this leader's name?" asked Zelda.

"His name is Lord Arcana." she replied, glad to be past the last question.

"So now that we know what we're up against," said Gerik, "what's our next course of action?"

"We need to prepare the troops." said Link. "They are in no shape to face an army this skilled. There has been peace for far too long. The only knights who would even stand a chance would be the royal guards, but there's not nearly enough of them."

"Well if the king would follow my advice and also ask the Gerudo for aid, we wouldn't be that hard pressed for warriors. You and I both know that they are currently the most skilled warriors in all of Hyrule."

"I know that, but it's the king you need to convince. Hey, if I can get in touch with Nabooru, then she can command the Gerudo to aid us. Zelda, have you been in touch with the sages lately?"

"No, I haven't talked to them for months." she replied, a little worriedly. "What's even worse, Impa mysteriously disappeared yesterday morning."

"Something's not right here."

"Um," said the woman as if they were beginning to tread dangerous waters, "all of this is good and all, but all of us have a more important mission to take. All four of us need to go and enter the Temple of Light."

"The Temple of Light?" exclaimed Link, Zelda, and Gerik.

"Yes, it is the sixth temple of Hyrule. It is also the most heavily guarded of them all. Finding it won't be easy, for truth be told, it was designed to never be found."

"But I traveled to all the temples." said Link. "The only one without a temple was Rauru, but I met him in the Temple of Time. I thought the Temple of Time was his home."

"That was what you were supposed to believe. Rauru isn't the leader of the sages for no reason. He is the most powerful of them all. That was why he was able to resist Ganon seven years ago while all the others were affected by his spell. He waited at the Temple of Time to watch over and guard your sleeping body."

"Well why is this Temple of Light so well protected?" asked Gerik.

"Because it is home to the entire history of Hyrule. Everything that has ever happened has been recorded at the Temple of Light. You can only imagine what would happen if its secrets fell into the wrong hands. They would know everything there is to know about the Triforce, as well as every weakness of Hyrule."

"But what do you hope to find there?" asked Link.

"That's not important. You'll know when we get there. Now let's hurry to the stables. If we're lucky maybe we can reach the temple before nightfall."

Zelda and Gerik agreed and immediately headed to the door. Link just stood there though rubbing his chin in thought. As he looked up he already saw Gerik and Zelda waiting out in the hallway and the woman making her way to the door. In a surprise move Link rushed forward and thrust his arm out blocking the woman's way to the door.

"Link, what's the meaning of this?" asked Zelda, surprised by Link's actions.

"She knows something that she's not telling us." he replied. "I've felt it ever since I first saw her. She is hiding something."

"What could I possibly be hiding?" asked the woman, her expression full of fear.

"There's something more to this Lord Arcana guy than you're telling us. Now out with it."

"You're not ready to hear what I have to tell you. It is too soon."

"I don't care! Now out with it."

"Fine, I'll tell you." she said in a defeated tone. "Lord Arcana. . .Lord Arcana is. . .he's Ganon's father."


	7. Chapter 6

Link, Gerik, and Zelda all stood there in complete shock. The arm Link was using to block the door went limp and fell to his side. No one said anything. It was so quiet that they could all hear the cries of terror coming from outside the castle as people were still just learning about the black smoke.

The woman just stood there looking down at her feet. She couldn't bear to look at any of them at the moment. The silence was unnerving, but she wasn't going to say anything more until they asked. She knew that they were shocked without looking at their expressions, but she had no idea what other emotions they were feeling at the moment.

"H. . .o. . .w," Link began speaking in a low voice at long last, "how. . .how is that possible?"

"Yeah," said Gerik, "I'm with the green boy over there. How is this possible?"

"Well," began the woman slowly, "you all know that the TwinRova Sisters are Ganon's mother, right? They couldn't exactly have had him without help if you know what I mean."

"Wait, are you telling me that this Lord Arcana guy and the TwinRova Sisters. . ." started Gerik as his face contorted as if he was about to vomit, "ugh, I just got a picture of it in my head. Get out, get out, get out! Ugh, I'm going be sick."

"I'm sure that the sisters were in their combined form when it happened."

"That doesn't matter. They're still butt-ugly in that form. How could anyone possibly; ugh there's that picture again. Excuse me."

"Something doesn't make sense here," said Zelda shaking her head trying to understand what she was hearing. "If Lord Arcana is Ganon's father, then how come he wasn't helping Ganon with his conquest of Hyrule seven years ago like the TwinRova Sisters were?"

"Even before Ganon was born, the sisters knew what his future held. They knew that he was to take the Triforce and conquer Hyrule. They feared though, that the Triforce of Power would go to his father instead since he was so powerful at the time. They didn't want to wait for baby Ganon to grow up and become stronger than his father, so they lured Lord Arcana across the ocean. Once they reached the other side, they imprisoned Lord Arcana in a huge block of ice that was both unbreakable and never to melt. It was there that Lord Arcana had been since Ganon was just a little baby."

"But why is he here now?" asked Link, his breathing heavy because of worry. "How did he escape and why has he come back?"

"My guess is that when you killed the TwinRova Sisters, their spell wore off. Since they were the ones who created it, only they could remove it with either a counter spell or with their deaths. As for why he's begun this invasion, I don't really know. It could be that he's here for revenge. If he knows why he was imprisoned though, then it's more likely that he's here for the Triforce."

"This is great, just great," said Gerik as he came back, his face a little green. "If it's not Ganon terrorizing Hyrule, then it's someone who's related to the bastard."

"Listen guys, we really need to get going. We don't have that much time to waste. We must get to the Temple of Light as soon as possible."

"Just answer me this one question," said Link. "Is Lord Arcana really that powerful?"

"Yes."

"Damn!"

Link just lowered his head and walked out of Zelda's bedroom without another word. He walked past Zelda and Gerik who had still been standing in the hallway without any word to them and continued onward toward the stables. His fight against Ganon was the most terrible fight he had ever been in. He was lucky to be alive. Though Zelda had been there to heal him before sending him back in time, the wounds he had incurred during the fight had been grievous. Just the thought of someone more powerful was enough to make him worry not only for his own life, but of Hyrule as well.

Zelda, Gerik, and the woman were walking behind him. None of them were talking either. There really wasn't that much to say after what they just learned. They not only learned about the enemy forces and their leader and how much more superior they were to their own forces, but they learned a deep, dark secret about Lord Arcana that still had Gerik looking a little green.

Even though none of them were talking, it was far from a quiet trip down to the stables. Hylian knights and royal guards were running all over the castle, obviously in preparation for the coming slaughter, and any Hylian citizens that were in the castle were running around in fear not knowing what to do. It was complete chaos within the castle walls. It was enough to make them wonder how things were in Hyrule Market considering how crazy they were right here in the castle itself.

When they reached the stables, Link, Zelda and the woman walked in to get their horses while Gerik waited outside. Link immediately spotted Epona and climbed up on top of her. Zelda walked over to her horse, Shadow, which was in a special part of the stable. Shadow, unlike his name would imply, was a big, beautiful, white horse. His saddle was also beautifully crafted and had the insignia of the royal family all over it.

The woman meanwhile walked over to this strong looking black stallion that was in the stall next to Epona. As she approached Epona moved toward her in a sign of friendship. The woman petted Epona and it was like the two of them knew each other. Link just stared in amazement at how Epona was acting. For as long as Link had known her, Epona was very picky about who she let near her. He remembered how much trouble he had had with her in the beginning until Malon had taught him Epona's Song.

"That's a beautiful horse," said Link to the woman as he, Zelda, and the woman left the stables. "What's his name?"

"His name is Chiron," she said as they approached where Gerik was waiting.

"Hang on a second; what's your name? We've been talking to each other all morning and I don't even know your name. You know all of ours' though."

"Hey yeah, that's true," said Zelda just realizing this fact for the first time. "What is your name?"

"My name?" she said in a high voice and her face looking a little uneasy. "Um yeah. . .of course. My name. . .my name is Alexis. Yeah that's it."

"That's a beautiful name," said Gerik with a big smile. "Well it's certainly a pleasure to meet you Alexis."

"Oh Gerik!" exclaimed Alexis, her cheeks red from the flattery. "You don't have a horse? Hop up her with me. Chiron is strong enough to carry a whole army on his back if he had to."

"Gerik really isn't one to ride horses," said Link, smirking down at Gerik as he did so. "He prefers to show off his special Sheikah moves by running as fast as a horse."

"I'd love to," Gerik replied to Alexis completely ignoring Link's comment.

Link just stared in amazement as Gerik climbed up onto Chiron behind Alexis. Gerik stuck his tongue out at Link as he got onto the horse, but neither Zelda or Alexis saw this. As Link sat there on Epona he had to wonder exactly what was going through Gerik's head, especially after the talk the two of them had the night before in the Kokiri Forest.

Once Gerik was fully on Chiron's back, they all headed off down the path from the castle at a slow gallop. They had to since the path to Hyrule Market was cluttered with citizens leaving the castle. Link didn't know whether they were leaving of their own accord or if this was King Hyrule's orders, but either way it was the right idea. Whatever the reasons for the invasion were, the attack would hit Hyrule market and Hyrule castle first. Evacuating these two places was of the utmost importance. As they neared Hyrule Market though, Link noticed that most of the citizens were women and children.

Link knew the reason why as soon as they entered Hyrule Market. There were Hylian knights all over the place securing provisions, determining areas of weakness, and checking defenses. The citizens looked worried by the presence of all these soldiers, but there was no panic. Every citizen from Hyrule Market was gathered around the fountain in the middle of town where one of the Hylian Royal Guards was standing with a large scroll in his hands.

"By order of King Hyrule," shouted the royal guard to the masses, "the city must empty. All citizens are henceforth required to pack up their belongings and leave. Don't burden yourself with treasures; bring only what you deem necessary. Temporary shelters have been set up in Kakariko Village, and we are asking both the Gorons and Zoras if they will accept our refugees. Go wherever you feel safest, but do not seek shelter at Lon Lon Ranch or anywhere in

Hyrule Field. Also, any man or lad strong enough to bear arms is henceforth required to head to the castle immediately. You are to be drafted into the Hylian Army. Any women skilled with a weapon would be greatly appreciated as well. You may have time to say goodbye to your loved ones, but make it quick for your training is to begin immediately."

"What exactly is going on?" shouted a frightened voice from within the crowd. "Why do we have to leave? Does this all have to do with that black smoke?"

Link, Gerik, Zelda, and Alexis didn't bother to stay behind for the answers to those questions. They already knew all too well what the answers were. Each one of them knew that this was going to happen, but still none of them were fully prepared to hear those words come out of the royal guard's mouth. It was the final blow to all of them as they realized that there was no turning back now. This was all real; it was not a dream.

As they crossed over the drawbridge and into Hyrule Field, they saw that Lon Lon Ranch was already being evacuated. Malon, Talon, and Ingo were all riding horses out off the ranch. Behind them were all of the horses, cows, and cuccos that were kept at the ranch. On the backs of the cows were all sorts of sacks that were obviously filled with food and their personal belongings. While Talon and Ingo led the cows and cuccos toward Kakariko Village, Malon led all the horses in the direction of the castle.

As Malon got closer to the castle, Epona saw her and let out a whinny of joy. Catching Link totally off guard, Epona sprinted straight for Malon. It was so sudden that Link actually fell off of her and fell flat on his face. Zelda, Gerik, Alexis, and Malon all laughed out loud at what they just witnessed.

"Hi Epona," said Malon still laughing as she reached over and petted Epona. "It's been a long time. I see that Link has been taking good care of you."

"Yeah, except she doesn't seem to appreciate it too much, now does she," Link said laughingly at Epona. "So how are you doing Malon?"

"As fine as can be expected being as we were just told to leave our home. We were told that there's going to be some huge battle here in Hyrule Field and that we would be in extreme danger if we stayed. What's really going on?"

"What makes you think I know what's going on?"

"Come on Link. We've been friends for way to long for me to believe that you don't know about some big danger approaching."

"You're right; I'm just kidding around. What you heard is the truth though. In just a few days time there will be a huge battle taking place here. I'm not sure if we'll even be able to win."

"Wow! Well that's one way to ruin someone's day."

"Hey Malon," said Zelda, "why are you bringing those horses to the castle?"

"Huh, oh because your father requested them. He wanted every horse that we could spare to go to the Hylian Army. I was a little reluctant to be giving up almost every horse we have, but now that I know what's going on I'm all for it. If just giving up these few horses will help in the coming struggle, then I'm glad to help."

"Well on behalf of my father and the Hylian Army, we thank you."

"Listen, I better get going. My father's gotten a little paranoid after hearing about the battle, and he's going to be worried sick if I take too long. I'll see you all later."

"Hey Malon!" Link cried as he got back up onto Epona. "You take care of yourself."

"Thanks," she replied with a smile. "You all take care of yourselves as well, and good luck."

Malon turned her back on them and with a tear in her eye led all the horses from the ranch over the drawbridge. After hearing the doubt in Link's voice, she didn't think that she would see any of them ever again. There was also the chance that she might not survive the coming conflict. When she and the horses were finally out of sight, Link, Zelda, Gerik, and Alexis gathered together.

"You know," said Gerik while smirking at Link, "I think she likes you."

"What?" exclaimed Link quickly. "That's nonsense. We're friends and nothing more."

"Oh, you mean just like you and–"

"So Alexis," stated Link loudly before Gerik could finish, "where exactly are we heading to? Alexis?"

"Damn!" she shouted as she looked up into the sky. "It's already past noon. If we're going to make it before nightfall, then we need to move now. We're running out of time."

"Exactly how much time do we have?" asked Zelda.

"They will breach the Lost Woods and begin their attack on the night of the full moon."

"What?" exclaimed Gerik. "But that only gives us four days including today to prepare."

"So now you know why we must hurry. The first stage of our journey lies in the desert."

"The desert?" said Link. "But that's where the Spirit Temple is"

"Only in one part of the desert. We will be taking another road; one that is not defined by flags or spirits. Don't worry though, because I know the path."

"How are we going to get to the desert though? The Gerudo aren't exactly going to just let us walk right in."

"We'll all hold hands, and then Zelda will play the Requiem of Spirit on the Ocarina of Time. By using my powers to assist, all of us, including our horses, will teleport to the Spirit Temple. From there we make our way into the desert and to our first destination."

Everyone nodded in agreement and held hands, except for Zelda since she had to play the ocarina. Everyone else just put a hand on Shadow instead. When they were ready, Zelda placed the ocarina to her lips and played the Requiem of Spirit. In a brilliant flash of yellow light, the four of them and their three horses were instantly teleported to the Spirit Temple.

Upon arrival everyone except Link stared in amazement at the huge expanse of the Desert Colossus. When they were finished staring, they started making their way to the exit. As they did so Link looked at the ground half expecting the Leevers to pop out of the ground and attack. The last time he had been here those creatures had been a real pain and almost caused some serious damage.

When they approached the exit they all stopped short. The blinding sandstorms that whipped violently across the desert were still as strong as ever. Link remembered how hard it was to see the flags that led to the Spirit Temple and now they were supposed to cross this desert without anything to guide them. All they had was this mysterious woman who appeared out of nowhere, but despite her mysterious nature he trusted her with his life for some odd reason.

"Alright Gerik," said Alexis, "you're going to have to take the reins. I can produce a spell to protect us from the storms, but it requires extreme concentration. None of you can disturb me until we reach the end."

"But how will we know where to go?" asked Zelda.

"As long as I'm performing the spell you'll be able to see this bright light. Just head straight for the light and everything will be fine."

Alexis now moved behind Gerik and began to chant a spell. As she finished this blue aura, similar to Naryu's Love, developed around them. When it finished enveloping them, they moved out into the blinding storms. The sandstorms whipped across the aura with no effect whatsoever. Inside the view was as clear as if they were still in Hyrule Field, but outside their visibility was dropped to zero. Off in the distance though was a bright light, just as Alexis had stated. Link, Zelda, and Gerik all nodded to each other and without another word headed out toward the light.

They traveled for what seemed like hours, the sandstorms outside still not dying down even the slightest. The sand was so bad that it blocked out the sun so they didn't even know what time it was. For all they knew they were traveling in circles, and in some places it actually felt as if they had traveled in circles. The more they traveled though, the more distant the light seemed to be. They continued on though, despite the doubts they were beginning to have.

As they continued along Gerik looked behind him at Alexis. Her face was looking a little pale, her body was drooping, and the glow she had back in Zelda's room seemed to have disappeared. Gerik was worried about her, but Zelda assured him that she was alright, that a spell this powerful and having been continuous this long was very tiring. Gerik just hoped that this wouldn't take much longer.

Finally, after traveling for what seemed like days, the storms began to die down and the bright light was finally getting closer. Filled with a new sense of hope, Link, Zelda, and Gerik had their horses go at a full gallop toward their destination. When they reached the light, it disappeared and before them was a magnificent oasis. When they stepped into it the storms around them just seemed to die right there. The storms still ravaged outside the confines of the oasis, but inside was completely untouched.

After traveling through the harsh desert, this oasis was a godsend to them. Different kinds of fruit bearing trees were growing all over the oasis and in the middle was a small lake of clear, cool water. For a second they thought it was nothing more than a mirage, but when Link walked over to the lake and scooped some of the water into his hand they knew that it was real.

"We made it Alexis," said Gerik turning around to snap her out of the spell. "You can quit it now. Alexis?"

Gerik shook her to try and wake her up, but instead the blue aura around them disappeared and Alexis collapsed off of the horse and onto the ground. Gerik quickly hopped off of Chiron and went immediately to her side. Link and Zelda had seen what happened as well and ran over to see if Alexis was alright. Gerik was shaking all over, so Zelda moved him away so she could see what was wrong.

"Is. . .is she okay?" Gerik asked nervously.

"It's alright," Zelda said with a sigh of relief. "She's just feinted. That spell exhausted her and it was all she could do to just keep it going. She'll be fine after a good night's rest."

"Thank the gods. What are we going to do now though?"

"We make camp," said Link as he walked over to one of the trees with a small knife. "Alexis is the only one who knows the next stage of our journey. Until she wakes up we'll have to wait here. Doesn't really matter anyway. Have either of you two looked up lately? We can see the sky again. The sun is already setting. I'd say we would've had an hour maybe two before having to make camp anyway."

"You're right," said Zelda as she looked up into the now darkening sky. "I wonder what kinds of enchantments are in place to allow this oasis to thrive in the middle of this unforgiving desert."

"I don't know. Gerik, come help me gather some fruit. Zelda, put Alexis someplace comfortable and keep watch over her. Hopefully she'll wake up in the morning and we can continue our journey."


	8. Chapter 7

Alexis stirred as the heat from the rising sun hit her flesh. Slowly, she opened her eyes to the bright glow of the sun up above her. Covering her eyes with her right arm, she turned to her left and saw Gerik sleeping soundly next to her. It took her only a second to realize what had happened and quickly jumped up. Link and Zelda were still sleeping as well and the three horses were grazing nearby.

"Wake up!" she screamed.

Both Link and Gerik jumped up suddenly with their swords drawn ready to strike. They both circled around looking for any sign of danger, but there was nothing that they could see. They stopped when they saw Alexis and lowered their weapons realizing that it was her that had screamed. Both of their hearts were still racing.

"Jeez you guys," said Zelda as she got up and fixed her gown. "Just because you hear someone yell doesn't mean we're under attack. I'd have guessed that you two would've grown out of that habit by now seeing as how we've had peace for seven years."

"A true warrior is always prepared for the unexpected," said Gerik confidently.

"Well then show me a true warrior and then we can see if your theory is correct," Link said to deflate Gerik's ego. "Anyway, it's good to see that you're okay Alexis."

"Thanks Link," she said while still giggling at Link's little quip. "I feel a lot better. I'm sorry guys; I didn't realize that the spell would take such a toll on me."

"Hey, it's no problem at all," said Gerik trying to comfort her. "Your safety is what matters most."

"Yeah, Gerik's right," added Zelda. "What good is getting to this temple if you die in the process?"

"Speaking of the temple," Link said, "shouldn't we get going? We did lose several hours yesterday because of what happened."

"Oh don't worry," said Alexis. "We're not that far away now. I said that we could've made it before nightfall yesterday, and I wasn't lying. Let me guess, we had only an hour or so before nightfall when we arrived here, right?"

"Yeah, that's absolutely correct. You mean you knew exactly how long it would take to travel through the desert?"

"I wouldn't say exactly, but in the general area yeah. There is only one extremely narrow path through the desert to get here. The rest of the desert is filled with bottomless pits and monsters the likes of which would make Ganon himself run with his tail between his legs. That's why there were so many turns and backtracks. If we didn't take that path, then we would probably still be out there, or possibly dead."

"Damn!" exclaimed Gerik. "This Temple of Light really is important. There's less protection around the Triforce for heavens sake."

"I wouldn't say that. The Triforce is the most heavily guarded item in the entire world, but we don't have time to discuss this. We need to look around the lake. There should be a small pedestal someplace. Chances are it's been buried in the sand."

Link, Gerik, Zelda, and Alexis headed toward the lake. They began circling it digging in the sand as they went around. As Zelda was searching, her hand grazed something hard. She called everyone else over as she bent down and started dusting off the small pedestal that was buried. When she was finished she stood up and everyone looked down at it. The pedestal was outlined in yellow and engraved in the middle of it was the Triforce.

"Hey, I remember those!" Link shouted. "Every time I came across one of these pedestals I had to play Zelda's Lullaby."

"I know that all to well," said Alexis without thinking, "and that's what Zelda needs to do now."

Without another word Zelda placed both feet onto the pedestal and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. She played the lullaby and just as what always happened to Link, the yellow outline and the Triforce began to glow. The lake before them froze over and in the middle of it a glowing portal appeared out of thin air.

"That my friends," began Alexis when Zelda stopped playing, "is the last stage of our journey. The horses will have to stay here, but they'll have plenty of food and water to tide them over till we return."

Without waiting for a reply Alexis stepped forward and entered the portal, disappearing from sight. Link, Gerik, and Zelda all looked at each other and then one by one they all stepped forward and into the portal. In the blink of an eye they disappeared and reappeared on what looked like a mountain path.

Once they were all through they examined their new surroundings. On either side of them were towering solid rock cliffs. The surfaces were smooth so climbing them was impossible. The tops of the cliffs were so high up that one could only reach them by flying. Behind them was the same rock surface, but the portal that they had traveled through was still glowing waiting for them to step back through. In front of them was a long and winding path, but it was the only way to go.

Alexis was already walking up the path by the time the others arrived. When she heard them arrive she turned around and waited for them to stop looking around before waving for them to follow her. They quickly ran to catch up and without speaking a word the four of them walked along the path.

It was slow going for them. The sun was directly above and beating down on them. Because of the confined space the mountain walls created, it was extremely hot. Luckily they had brought plenty of water and fruit from the oasis. They stopped once to have some breakfast, but the longer they sat there the hotter it seemed to get. When they were finished they decided that they would not take anymore breaks until they reached the end or it got cooler.

They walked through the unforgiving heat for about an hour before the path straightened out and started to open up. Gerik was beginning to think that they would start running into skeletons of people who had died from the heat, but as far as he knew they were the first ones to ever make this journey. The path now opened up completely and the heat seemed to dissipate immediately.

They all looked forward with hope in their hearts and saw the top of a huge building which they all assumed to be the temple. The path ended at the top of a cliff. The cliff in turn opened up into a huge expanse that was surrounded by huge rock walls. In the middle of this expanse sat the Temple of Light. It was a huge pyramidal shaped building that had dozens of tall, stone columns leading to the entrance. Standing on either side of the entrance were four stone statues each holding a broad stone sword in their hands.

"Welcome everyone," began Alexis, "to the Temple of Light. We have reached the end of our journey."

"Well let's get going then," said Link. "The longer we stand around here the closer Lord Arcana's army gets to Hyrule Castle."

"We may have reached the end of our journey, but we're not out of danger yet. You see those four statues standing guard next to the entrance? As soon as we approach those statues are going to come alive and try to kill us."

"You've got to be kidding me!" shouted Gerik while throwing his hands up into the air in defeat. "As if the godforsaken desert and killer heat weren't bad enough. Give us a **God Damn Break!**"

"Get a hold of yourself Gerik," said Zelda. "We're almost there. Let's just get past those statues and complete what we came here to do."

"Yes, but how exactly do we defeat the statues?" asked Link.

"They have only one weakness," said Alexis. "They are invulnerable to everything but magic. In order to kill them, a destructive spell must be fired at their neck. It must be a direct hit though. Only a direct hit to their necks will destroy those stone guardians."

"So that means you have to kill them?" asked Zelda.

"Not me. I'm going to have to help Link and Gerik distract those things. There's no way that those two can distract those things by themselves; no offense. It's going to fall on your shoulders. While the three of us are keeping them busy, you need to fire whatever kind of destructive spells you have at your disposal at their necks."

"I don't know if I can do it. I may be a sage and all, but my level of magic is no where even close to yours. I'm still a novice."

"Come on Zelda," said Link, "you're selling yourself short. I've seen what you can do and your not bad at all. I'm not saying there still isn't stuff for you to learn, but there isn't another person I would rather trust my life with than yours."

"That's so sweet," replied Zelda with a smile and her cheeks growing red. "All right; I'll do it."

"Good, it's settled then," stated Alexis. "Okay now, Link, Gerik and I will all take one of the statues for ourselves and we'll trade off on the fourth one. Zelda meanwhile will power up her spells and fire whenever she has a clear shot. Everyone agreed? Good, then let's get down to business."

Alexis reached over to the golden scabbard hanging from her belt and pulled out the sword contained within. It was a long and very slightly curved weapon. The hilt of the sword was made out of ivory. There were intricate patterns etched all along the handle and where the hilt met the blade were brightly colored gems that had been cut and placed to look like the Triforce. Link just took one look at the sword and knew that it was a finely crafted and deadly weapon.

After drawing her weapon, Alexis jumped down off of the cliff and charged toward the temple. Link and Gerik drew their weapons as well and jumped down after her. Zelda nervously took the ladder down the cliff instead. As she climbed down she was thinking of what spell would be best to use against the statues.

Just as Alexis had said, once they approached the temple the ground began to shake. Loose rocks fell off of the nearby columns and the statues themselves as the statues drew their arms wide as if stretching and stepped off of the pedestals that they had been standing on. Link, Gerik, and Alexis just stood their with their swords held in a defensive position as the statues awakened and slowly made their way toward them with their stone swords held ready to strike.

"On my signal we'll break," said Alexis as the statues drew ever closer. "Link, take the statue on the left. Gerik, the one on the right. I'll keep the two in the middle busy until I can pass one of them off to either of you two. Now!"

Link, Gerik, and Alexis all jumped out of the way as the four living statues slammed their swords into the spot they had been standing in only seconds before. Link and Gerik did as they were told and took off into their respective directions, drawing two of the statues after them. Alexis meanwhile had run behind the two remaining statues and stood there waiting for their next move.

One of the statues quickly turned around and swung his blade. Alexis ducked and then quickly jumped to her left as the other statue swung its blade at her. Alexis recovered from her jump and ran toward the nearest statue. It swung its blade trying to hit her, but missed and slammed it into the ground instead. Alexis used this opportunity and did a front flip right onto the stone sword that had been slammed into the ground.

Alexis quickly ran along the length of the sword as the statue drew it from the ground. The statue went to shake the sword to get her off, but Alexis jumped off the sword and onto its arm. She then proceeded to climb up the arm toward its head. While she was doing this the other statue walked over and made a fist. It threw a punch trying to squash Alexis, but she saw this and jumped down off of the statue she was climbing. The punch collided with the other statue instead and sent it flying to the ground. With one statue currently incapacitated, Alexis got up and ran trying to lead the other statue away.

Zelda all the while had been hiding behind one of the stone columns. She was watching the fighting intently waiting for her moment to strike. As of yet she hadn't had a clear shot at any of the statue's necks. As she waited she heard a large crash and seconds later the ground shook. Zelda peeked out from behind the column and saw through the dust that had been kicked up the statue that had been knocked down thanks to Alexis's maneuvers.

Zelda figured that this was as good a chance as any and ran out from the behind the column. As the statue tried to get up off the ground Zelda had a clear view of its neck. She gathered the energy required for her spell and transformed it into a glowing ball in her hands. When the spell was done she aimed and fired it at the statue's neck. She watched as the ball of energy drew closer and closer. Her face lightened up with excitement as it sped toward its target, but then turned to dismay as the statue stood up and the spell bounced harmlessly off of its leg. With the statue now aware of her presence, it picked up its sword and began to run after her.

Link was happier now more than ever that he had his Biggoron Sword with him. Ever since splitting up Link had been blocking and parrying every swing the statue made with its sword. If it had been any other sword it probably would've broke in half by now. Link's knees were beginning to buckle as the statue swung its sword down at him over and over again. He braced himself again and again after each strike, but he wasn't sure how much more he could take. He wasn't sure how much more his arms could take either. He was holding the sword high above his head to block the attacks, but each strike brought his sword closer and closer to the top of his head.

The statue now drew its sword high above its own head and Link knew that this was the attack that was to finish him off. He waited for the statue to start bringing its sword down and jumped out of the way. He rolled safely out of the way, but as soon as he rose and turned around the statue kicked him. Link flew straight through the air and collided into one of the stone pillars. The wind was knocked out of him and the column broke in half from the impact of the hit. Link fell to the ground in extreme pain. His chest was on fire and his eyes were all hazy.

Link tried to get up, but his body wouldn't respond. He managed to turn his head and look at the statue he had been fighting. It was coming toward him with the intention of finishing him off. Link willed his body to move, but it just wouldn't listen. The statue now approached Link and raised its sword. Link looked up awaiting the blow that would finish him off, but it never came.

Link watched as there was a flash of light, and then an explosion on the statue's neck. The head flew off and the rest of it crumbled to the ground in front of Link. Link looked and saw Zelda standing there, the worry in her face being replaced by a smile when she saw that Link was all right. Link smiled back at her, but his expression changed to one of horror as Zelda was grabbed from behind by the statue that had been following her. Both Zelda's hands were caught in the bind so she couldn't perform her spell, and the statue was slowly tightening its grip crushing Zelda in the process.

Link pushed his body beyond its limit and slowly got up off the ground. He picked up his sword and charged at the statue. Knowing that his blade would do nothing though he stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear Zelda's screams of pain, but he didn't know what to do. He had left most of his weapons back at the oasis. He did have his bomb bag with him, but unless he could get close they were useless. Link then remembered that he had a few Bombchus in the bag as well. It was a long shot, but it was the only option he had.

Without hesitating Link took out a Bombchu, lit the fuse, aimed it carefully at the statue, and let it go. The Bombchu sped off toward the statue. The statue was content with squeezing the life out of Zelda, so it wasn't moving around. It didn't even notice the Bombchu until it started climbing up its leg. The statue looked down at it trying to figure out what it was and loosened its grip on Zelda a little. The Bombchu started glowing red which signaled that its fuse was running out as it approached the statue's head.

The Bombchu exploded directly in the statue's face. The statue stumbled backward and raised both hands up to its face, dropping Zelda in the process. Zelda fell to the ground with a crash and Link quickly ran over to her as fast as he could. She rolled over and smiled when she saw Link standing worriedly over her. Link went to help her to her feet, but Zelda thrust both her arms out suddenly knocking Link to the ground in the process.

Link was stunned by her actions, but then realized that she had put up a protective barrier around them and that the statue was swinging its sword down directly at them. The sword hit the barrier in a brilliant explosion shattering the stone blade. The statue pulled back it's arm to examine what was left, and Zelda used this opportunity to lower the barrier and fire a spell at the statue's neck. The spell hit dead-on and the statue crumbled to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Link asked Zelda when the dust had settled.

"As fine as can be expected after having the life squeezed out of me," she replied with a smirk. "Other than a few bruises I should be fine. Thank you for saving my life."

"You saved mine first. It was the least I could do."

The two of them now sat there staring at each other with smirks on their faces. The debris from the broken columns and the remains of the two statues seemed to disappear to them. Everything that had just happened seemed nothing more than a bad dream as they continued to stare in each others eyes. Then, all of a sudden, there was a huge crash from somewhere nearby and the ground shook violently.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Zelda. "Alexis and Gerik; we need to get to them."

"Come on then," said Link as he helped Zelda up off the ground. "Let's go kick some more statue ass."

* * *

Gerik didn't have a scratch on him. The entire battle he had been using his amazing speed to outrun and outmaneuver the statue he was distracting at every turn. In his wake were several destroyed columns and many holes in the ground caused by the statue swinging its sword and missing. Gerik didn't even have his swords out anymore. He had put them away for fear of accidently tripping and stabbing himself. 

Every time Gerik used his speed to dodge the statue's swings, he would sneer and stick his tongue out at the statue. Gerik knew that his taunting was working because he could tell that the statue was getting pissed off. Every time it missed it would stamp its feet like a child in a tantrum. Gerik just laughed every time that happened.

Alexis meanwhile was hiding behind one of the stone columns. Ever since she had led the one statue away from the other she had been running to avoid it. She was beginning to become exhausted and was hiding behind the column to catch her breath. She had no idea why the other statue she had left behind hadn't come chasing after her yet, but she didn't really mind. The sound of an explosion several minutes later told her that Zelda had dispatched the other one.

As Alexis stood there glad that one statue was now gone, the statue that had been following her finally found her. It swung its blade cutting the column in half and nearly taking her head with it. Alexis quickly ran out of there as the statue prepared another strike. She ran with what energy she had left wondering exactly where Zelda was on this battlefield.

As she was running she spotted Gerik taunting his statue. An idea sprang to her mind and she hurried over to where Gerik was with the statue hot on her trail. She waited for Gerik to dodge a blow directed at him so as not to distract him and whistled. Gerik heard the whistle and turned toward Alexis. As he was staring at her she pointed to the two of them and then pointed at the two statues. Gerik didn't understand at first but soon realized what she wanted when she continued to perform the hand motions.

Gerik waited till he had the statue's attention and then ran full speed toward Alexis. The statue took the bait and followed him as fast as it could. As Alexis and Gerik got closer and closer, the statues just continued to follow them blindly. The two of them passed each other without a word and then slipped between the oncoming statue's legs. The two statues couldn't stop in time and slammed into each other. The resounding crash was followed by a small earthquake as the two statues fell to the ground.

"Are you all right?" Gerik asked Alexis worriedly after seeing her all out of breath.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied. "Boy, it's a good thing you knew what I wanted. You and I make a good team."

"Yeah, we do; don't we? Oh crap! They're getting up."

Alexis turned to see and sure enough the two statues were slowly rising up off the ground. The two of them just stood there not sure what to do next. Alexis knew that they wouldn't have been destroyed by that maneuver, but she had thought it would have bought them a little more time. As they stood there two explosions hit the statue's necks and sent their heads flying and the rest of their bodies collapsing into piles of stone. When the dust had cleared Alexis and Gerik saw Link and Zelda standing behind the now piles of stone just as tired and a little more battered than they were. In fact, Link was helping Zelda to stand up.

"We did it!" cried Zelda in joy. "We did it."

"Yeah, but we couldn't have done it without you," said Link smiling down at Zelda. "You were great."

"Yeah, who would have guessed that the pampered little princess had such power," said Gerik jokingly.

"Hey, who are you calling pampered little princess?" Zelda replied. "If I recall correctly I kicked your butt a few times."

Link was about to make fun of Gerik, but before he could speak the ground began to shake. All four of them looked around wondering what was causing it. They were all worried that there was one more test that they had to accomplish. They soon found the cause and all worry left their hearts. It was the door to the Temple of Light. The thick stone door was slowly rising from the ground to allow them entrance to the temple.

"There it is guys," said Alexis when the door had fully opened. "There's the fruit of all our labors. We have been permitted to enter the Temple of Light."


	9. Chapter 8

The four of them walked through the entrance and into a large antechamber. It was at least 15 feet tall and big enough to fit about 50 people comfortably. The room was lit by torches placed evenly along the walls. The walls themselves were smooth, but they were not bare. Painted in vibrant colors on the walls, and even the floor and ceiling, was Hyrule. To their left was painted the Gerudo Fortress, the Haunted Wasteland, the Desert Colossus, and Lake Hylia. On their right was painted Death Mountain, Kakariko Village, Zora's River and Zora's Domain. Painted behind them was the Kokiri Forest, the Deku tree, and the Lost Woods.

The ceiling and floor were simple paintings. The ceiling was painted to resemble a bright sunny day, and the floor was painted to resemble the green grass of Hyrule Field. What they were really interested in though, was what was painted on the wall in front of them. Except for the door, the entire wall in front of them was painted to show Hyrule Market and Hyrule Castle as if someone were looking at it from a mountaintop. It was painted in such detail that they could count the windows on every house in Hyrule Market. Floating above the castle in the sky was painted the Triforce, all three golden triangles shining brightly.

Even though they all knew that this had to have been painted centuries ago, it looked as if it had just been painted yesterday. The door leading out of the antechamber was no less beautiful or magnificent. It was a beautifully crafted wooden door. Situated in the middle of it was a big Triforce made out of solid gold. It shined so brightly and was so perfect that they could see their reflections in it. After staring in amazement Link reached forward, grabbed the silver door handles, and opened the doors.

The antechamber opened up into a large room. This room was the center of the temple. In the middle of the room were several large tables with dozens of chairs each. At the end of the room were large stained glass panes. These panes extended all the way up the wall. The first row of stained glass were of all the Sages, Zelda included. They could only guess that the other panes had to be of former Sages who had passed on.

Extending off of this room were dozens of other rooms. They were connected to the main room by stone archways. Written above each archway in bright, gold letters were words such as _Hylians_, _Sheikahs_, _Royal Family_, and _Hyrule_. Since each room had something different written above it and they could see that each room contained hundreds upon hundreds of books, they figured that the words described what kinds of books were to be found in the different rooms.

This was not the only level to the temple. On either side of the door they had just walked through were stairs that led up to other levels. Each level was exactly the same as the first with all the different rooms full of books. Despite the utter lack of windows, the place was as bright as if they were outside. The only light sources in the room were torches located in-between each archway, but there weren't nearly enough of them to create this kind of light. The light seemed to be filtering in from somewhere above, but the source itself remained a mystery.

"Well let's get started," said Alexis after they all had examined their surroundings. "We have a lot of books to go through."

"What exactly is it that we're searching for?" asked Zelda as she just now realized that they hadn't been told what they were coming here for.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure."

"What?" said Link in shock. "Can you explain to me why then we traveled all this way and went through all of that trouble when we have absolutely no idea what we're searching for? Do you know how many books there are? Just look around. It'll take us forever to go through all of these, and since we don't know what we're searching for we could accidently find it and not realize it."

"Somewhere in here is the key to stopping Lord Arcana and his army. If I knew what it was we wouldn't have had to travel here, but I don't. All I know is that it is located somewhere within these walls. You just have to trust me."

"I'm a god damn warrior, not a librarian," Gerik mumbled under his breath. "Hey! What's with that room over there?"

Everyone looked at the far wall where Gerik was pointing. Underneath all of the stained glass was another archway. This one was different though. It was the only archway that had a door preventing access to it, and it was a strong looking door. There wasn't even a handle on the door to open it with. Above the archway was written _Triforce_.

"Oh," said Alexis nonchalantly, "that room contains everything on the Triforce. What you all know about the Triforce is nothing compared to the secrets inside that room. Don't bother trying to get into that room; it's impossible. That door cannot be destroyed, and it will only allow access to those chosen to read the contents inside. As far as I know, only the Goddesses themselves can enter that room."

"Okay then," said Gerik to change the subject, "how about we get to reading?"

"That sounds like a good idea," replied Link. "Everyone split up and take a different room. We'll search the rooms that make the most sense first, and then move on down the line. We only have two and a half days left here. Let's make it quick."

Without another word the four of them split up. Alexis and Zelda headed up the stairs to the upper levels while Link and Gerik started looking on the ground floor. Link walked over to a room that was marked _Wars_. Since Alexis had said that Lord Arcana was this powerful and skilled warrior, he figured that his name would be mentioned in there somewhere. Gerik meanwhile headed to a room marked _Gerudo_. Even though Gerik wasn't enjoying the idea of reading about Lord Arcana's and the TwinRova Sisters' relationship, he no choice since it might hold the key to defeating Lord Arcana.

Alexis and Zelda picked rooms that they felt were important as well. Alexis saw a room marked _Enemies of Hyrule_ and felt that a good place to start. As Zelda was searching for a room to look in, she saw one marked _Sages_. She convinced herself that if Lord Arcana was such a powerful person, then the Sages who were around at that time must have mentioned him. The real reason she wanted to go in there was to see if she could learn anything.

The four of them spent hour after hour reading through countless books and going from room to room. After all this time they had found nothing, and what they did find were just blurbs. Alexis had found a book all about Lord Arcana in her room, but it only told her what she already knew. It didn't mention any weakness whatsoever. Gerik had to suffer through Lord Arcana's and the TwinRova Sisters' relationship and the birth of their son, but after that nothing. Zelda found no mention of Lord Arcana at all, but did learn some interesting things about being a Sage.

Link wasn't having any better luck. While the others had all switched rooms several times already, he was still looking through books from the room marked _Wars_. He had to have read about every war in Hyrule's history, but never was there any mention of Lord Arcana. Apparently Lord Arcana had, up till now, never participated in a war either against or for Hyrule. It wasn't a total loss though. Link did get to read about the war Ganon launched against Hyrule when he was asleep for those seven years. Now that Link knew how Ganon had won, he could make sure that those weaknesses were corrected before Lord Arcana attacked.

"So how's it going?" asked Gerik as he walked over to the table Link was sitting at.

"Not so well," replied Link. "I've read about possibly every war Hyrule has ever participated in and there isn't even a mention of Lord Arcana. How about you?"

"A little better than you I guess. I've gone through three different rooms already and I've actually seen stuff about the guy, but nothing that Alexis didn't already tell us. I'm starting to think that this is just a wild goose chase."

"Maybe so. Wait! You've already been through three rooms? Damn, I've been going through only one room all this time. It's been pretty interesting reading though. Hyrule has been through some really dark times before. I thought things were bad when I first left the Kokiri Forest and entered Hyrule Field, but that was nothing compared to some of these."

"So how many wars has Hyrule actually gone through?"

"Way too many to count. Of course most of them involved the Triforce. You want to know something though? Out of all those wars, Hyrule only lost one of them, and that was the war against Ganon. Of course I then manipulated time, defeated Ganon, and made it so Ganon never launched his war against Hyrule, but he was still the only one to ever do it. He's also the only person in history to have actually touched the Triforce. Sure it broke apart because I was asleep and Zelda was missing, but he's the only one to have ever touched it and come closest to making a wish upon it."

"So basically Ganon's war was the most famous, right?"

"Wrong. There were plenty of other wars that were both deadlier and more disastrous than Ganon's war could ever hope to be. The worst one occurred about two centuries ago. I'm surprised you don't know about it. It was this war in which the Sheikah race was nearly annihilated. The Sheikahs were Hyrule's only defenders in those days. One day an army appeared searching for the Triforce. The Sheikahs wouldn't allow it and a war broke out. The war lasted about five years. In the end Hyrule won and all of the invaders were killed, but Hyrule suffered terribly. Nearly all of the Sheikahs were wiped out, all of Hyrule lied in ruin, and almost all hope had faded."

"So that's what happened to my people. I knew that we couldn't have just started to decline; that there had to be a reason for it. At least they all died a warrior's death."

"Yeah, and thanks to them the Triforce was kept safe and Hyrule lived to fight another day."

"I don't know why, but something tells me that this war is going to surpass every other war in every way. I think that this war will be the most disastrous to hit Hyrule ever and that a wish will actually be made on the Triforce this time."

"Let's just hope that you're wrong. Well looks like I'm finished with this room. I think I'll check out the room marked _Hyrule_ now. I have a feeling that books pertaining to Hyrule's history will be in there. What about you?"

"I'm going to go check out the room marked _Sheikah_. Don't look at me like that. I've checked every other room that seemed important down here. Besides, maybe Lord Arcana had some dealings with the Sheikah in the past. We'll never know unless we check."

"Alright, good luck then."

Link closed the book he was reading while Gerik went into the _Sheikah_ room. Link then got up from the table and headed to the room marked _Hyrule. _This was a rather large room with several long bookcases. There had to be at least a thousand books in there. Link just stood there staring in amazement. The other room hadn't been nearly as large or have as many books. Link just lowered his head and walked toward the bookshelves to begin his search.

Luckily for Link, he was able to knock out half of the bookshelves just by the dates in which the books were created. With those out of the way Link walked down a row of bookshelves that contained rather recent books. He looked at the titles, but only one caught his eye. He tried to forget about it, but his eyes just kept drifting back toward it. The book was titled "The Hero of Time." Convincing himself that maybe some mention of Lord Arcana would be in there since he was Ganon's father, Link took the book off the shelf and headed back into the main room. He pulled up a seat at one of the tables and opened the book.

Link was amazed by the book. It contained everything from when Navi was sent by the Great Deku Tree to fetch Link to when Zelda sent Link back in time after defeating Ganon and sealing him in the Evil Realm. Within the book were also illustrations. Most of the illustrations showed Link fighting Ganon or the various bosses of the temples. The words and illustrations just seemed to jump off the pages to Link as he flipped from page to page reliving his great adventure.

All Link could think of while looking through the book was that back then he was the legendary Hero of Time, and he singlehandedly took on Ganon. Now it was going to take an army to protect the Triforce. As Link flipped to the last page though, he realized that he was mistaken. On the page was a picture of him delivering the final blow to Ganon with the Master Sword, and there, floating by his head, was Navi. Throughout his entire adventure she had been by his side. Link's happy memories turned into depression as Link wondered where Navi was and why, in this dark hour, she wasn't there to help him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Alexis in a happy voice from behind him.

"Oh, just looking at this book and reliving old memories," he replied in a somber tone.

"This is a picture of you defeating Ganon, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. I didn't do it alone though. See that fairy floating by my head? Her name was Navi. She was with me from the very beginning of my adventure. Without her I don't think I ever would've succeeded."

"It sounds like the two of you were really close."

"Yeah, we were. She was one of my best friends. It was a little slow in the beginning, but we became really good friends. That's what I thought anyway. After we were returned to the past Navi left without a word. I haven't seen her since. I do miss her."

"That's so sweet."

"Don't get too excited. Things weren't always great. Even though we were friends she got on my nerves. Oh boy did she get on my nerves. There were times when I wished she had a neck just so I could strangle her. But I guess all friendships have their ups and downs, right?"

"Hmpf!" was all Alexis replied as she turned around and walked away.

"What did I say?" asked Link confused.

"Those sons of bitches!" Gerik's voice rang throughout the temple all of a sudden.

Link quickly rose out of his chair and looked toward the room Gerik was in. Alexis turned to look as well and Zelda was running down the stairs to see what all the commotion was about. They all watched as Gerik emerged from the room shaking a book angrily in his right hand. His face was contorted with anger, but they could also see disbelief in his face. He was stumbling out of the room as he had just been shot in the chest with an arrow. He headed over to the nearest table and slammed the book down upon it. His face as he did so contorted as if he was trying to hold back tears.

"Gerik, what's wrong?" Zelda asked concernedly.

"Those bastards. . .those god damn bastards were traitors!" he yelled with a mix of anger and sorrow.

"Who Gerik?" asked Link. "Who were traitors?"

"My parents!" Gerik literally growled.


	10. Chapter 9

"Oh my god!" Zelda silently gasped to herself as she raised her hands to her mouth at this startling news.

"What do you mean by traitors?" asked Link cautiously knowing that he was treading dangerous waters.

"I mean exactly what I said!" Gerik yelled in response. "Those so-called parents of mine turned their back on Hyrule. They basically handed Hyrule over to Ganon on a silver platter. What's worse though is what those two did to the two of you. It's not so much what they did to you Zelda, rather what they attempted to do, but you on the other hand Link, I'm. . .I'm so sorry. What they did is unforgivable."

"Wait, what happened?" asked Alexis. "What are you talking about? You're not making any sense Gerik. How could your parents know Link and Zelda. They would have been little more than babies."

"That's exactly when it happened," Gerik said, his voice now a mix of anger and sorrow. "My parents, ugh I can't believe I called them that, we're two very skilled Sheikah warriors. Their skills led them down a dark path though. They believed that since Sheikahs were so superior to Hylians that Sheikahs should rule Hyrule. They tried to get others and lead a revolt, but none would follow. That's when they turned to the TwinRova sisters. The sisters manipulated them into turning their back on Hyrule. The sisters knew that Ganon would need powerful allies in his conquest, so they promised my parents that the Sheikahs would hold a place of power beneath Ganon when he took over. For years they did as they were told and never had a second thought about it."

"Wait, I remember reading about this," said Link as he remembered what he had read about Ganon's war against Hyrule. "There were a pair of Sheikah warriors that had provided detailed maps of Hyrule's defenses to Ganon and had also assassinated the best warriors in the land to make sure that no one could resist Ganon's army. I had no idea that they were your parents."

"Yes, and it was their last assassination attempt that they did the two of you wrong. When Zelda was born, the sisters sensed that she might become a threat to Ganon, so they sent my parents in to kill the infant Zelda. The night they broke into the castle Zelda refused to sleep. As a result her nanny was still in the room with her when they burst into the room. They didn't expect the nanny, but quickly killed her without remorse. Luckily, she was able to let out a scream before she died. That scream was heard by your father Link. You see, your father was a member of the Royal Guard. He was also an exceptional swordsman, which is probably where you got your natural talent from. He happened to be walking down the hallway with your mother and you in her arms that night when the nanny screamed."

"My. . .my father was a Royal Guard. I. . .it. . .uh. . ."

"When your parents burst into the room, they saw my father holding his sword over Zelda. Your dad drew his sword and quickly rushed forward and prevented him from killing her. The two of them then engaged in combat. My mom was about to join in, but she saw you and your mother standing in the doorway. Not wanting her to call for reinforcements she rushed forward to kill the two of you. Your mother knew nothing of sword fighting, so her maternal instincts of getting you to safety kicked in. She ran out of the castle and into Hyrule Field. When she looked back and saw my mother still chasing her though, she knew that she had to get somewhere safe. That's when she decided to go to the Kokiri Forest, knowing that the forest spirits would protect the two of you. Somehow, throughout the chase your mother managed to avoid taking a direct hit, but she did receive the numerous wounds that would eventually lead to her death. As your mom neared the forest, she tripped and fell. My mom went to deliver the final blow, but her attack was deflected by Impa."

"Impa!" exclaimed Zelda. "Wait, so Impa knew the truth about your past the whole time?"

"Yes, and she never bothered to tell me the truth. She had been on her way to the castle when she saw my mom attacking Link and his mother. As soon as Impa intervened she recognized my mother. It didn't take long for Impa to kill my mother, but when she turned around Link and his mother were gone. Your mom had used the opportunity to sneak off into the Kokiri Forest, and knowing that she was about to die, asked the Great Deku Tree with her dying breath to watch over you. As for our fathers, they ended up killing each other. The sounds of their fight didn't go unnoticed, and pretty soon there were dozens of knights running up to the room. By the time they got there though, it was already over. They watched as your father drove his sword into my father's chest, killing him. Your father was seriously wounded though, but before he died he explained what had happened and asked that they find you and your mother. Obviously they were never successful. Your father was honored as a great hero the following day, and he is buried in the Kakariko Graveyard alongside other heroic knights and royal family members. I. . .I am so sorry Link."

"Listen man, it's not your fault," said Link. "You were just a baby then like Zelda and I. You had no control over your parents' actions."

"Don't feed me that bull! The same blood that ran through their veins runs through mine, and it is the blood of a traitor. No matter what happens from here on out, I can never regain my family's honor that my parents destroyed. They did an extreme injustice to you Link. Your parents intervened to save Zelda, but if my parents hadn't tried to kill her none of this would've happened. I hate them, and everything that they stood for, but no matter what I do I will always be related to those traitors. Everyone, I'm sorry. I. . .I need to be alone."

Gerik walks away rapidly, tossing the book from the table to the floor in the process. He storms right past Link, Zelda, and Alexis and out of the temple. Zelda tries to say something, but Gerik just keeps on walking, completely ignoring her. Once he's gone Link, Zelda, and Alexis just stand there staring at the exit. All of them are shocked by the news that they just heard, especially Link and Zelda. Zelda had never known that there had been an assassination attempt on her life, and Link knew next to nothing about his parents.

"What. . .what do we do now?" asked Alexis, unsure of what exactly to say.

"You better go out and talk to him," replied Link with a sigh.

"What, me?"

"Well he's not going to respond to Zelda or me. He believes that he's responsible for what his parents did to us. We're the last people he needs to see right now. Besides, I have a strong feeling that he'll respond to you."

"If you think so, then I'll do it. I'm not sure of what to say though."

"Just be there for him," said Zelda. "Just listen to what he has to say."

Alexis nodded and then made her way to the exit. Link and Zelda just stood there watching as she left. So far this trip had been nothing but trouble to them, and they were still no closer to finding what they came here to find. Even though Link had just learned a lot about his parents and his past, there was still something else bothering him. Now that Alexis was gone, he felt that he should get it off his chest.

"You know," began Link, "there's something about Alexis that doesn't seem right. I think she's hiding something."

"What gives you that idea?" asked Zelda, her interest peaked.

"It's a lot of things. It's the way she acts when cornered with questions about her or her past, the way she seems to know everything about me, and there are times when she says these little things, but it's quick and then she quickly changes the subject."

"You're probably just imagining things."

"Maybe, but I'm definitely sure that I've heard that voice before. I do not remember her face at all, and I'm pretty good with faces, but I know that I've heard that voice before; I just don't know where. It's been bugging me ever since I first heard her speak."

"Why don't you just ask her about it?"

"Because she'll just clam up and change the subject like she always does. She's got to be hiding something; there's no other reason for that kind of behavior. I'd also like to know how she knows everything. I mean, she gave us all the details on Lord Arcana and his army, she knew how to get here, and she knew what the weaknesses were on those stone statues."

"I think you're just being paranoid. You're just not use to sharing the limelight with other people."

"What are you talking about? I gave everyone their due credit in the war against Ganon. I know that I didn't do it by myself. Besides, if that were true how come I'm not saying anything bad about Gerik?"

"Because I can vouch for him. I can tell you all that you want to know about him."

"Ah, that brings up a good point. Who can vouch for Alexis? She just came out of nowhere offering to help. We know nothing of her past, yet we're supposed to be trusting her. How do we know that she isn't working for Lord Arcana and was ordered to keep us busy while he attacks Hyrule?"

"Okay, I'll grant you the fact that she might be hiding something, but she's definitely on our side. I can sense it. There is nothing but good in her heart."

"Well at least now I know that I don't have to watch my back, and you now believe me that she's hiding something. Come on, let's get back to reading. It's probably getting late out and we're no closer to discovering Lord Arcana's weakness."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Alexis and I have checked nearly every room upstairs, so the answer has to be down here somewhere."

Link gives Zelda a nod and they walk off to check the other rooms. Link points out to Zelda which rooms have already been checked, which are mostly the forward ones, so they head down to the rooms nearest the _Triforce_ room. As they get close to the _Triforce_ room though, the triforce symbols on both their hands start to glow. The temple starts to shake as the door blocking the _Triforce_ room begins to open, probably for the first time in history. They just stand there frozen as they watch the door open.

"Did. . .did we just do that?" asked Zelda turning her head to look at Link.

"I think so," he replied turning his head at her. "Hey, do you remember what Alexis said? She said that 'it will only allow access to those chosen to read the contents inside.' This must be the reason why we came here. We were meant to read whatever it is in that room."

"What are we waiting for then?"

* * *

As Alexis walked outside, the first thing she noticed was that it was getting late. The sun was already setting and half eclipsed by the mountains surrounding them. Her eyes had to adjust since it was still so bright inside the temple. When her eyes had finished adjusting she began walking around the battlefield searching for Gerik. She finally found him sitting on the ruins of a collapsed column with his back to her. As she headed over to him she saw one of Gerik's swords slammed into a still standing column and the other sticking out of the ground several feet away from him as if he had tossed it. Gerik didn't even hear Alexis approach. 

"Gerik, are you okay?" Alexis asked in a sympathetic voice as she sat down next to him.

"No, no I'm not okay!" he barked. "How the hell would you feel if you learned that your parents were nothing more than traitors?"

"I was just trying to help. If you're going to act like that I'll just go back inside."

"No, wait. I'm sorry. You've just got to understand that this is very hard for me. I don't even know why I'm so upset. Up till now I thought that my parents had just abandoned me, but I don't know. I had always hated them, but now it's something more. Now it goes beyond hate."

"Gerik, I'm not going to sit here and say that I understand what you're going through. I know that this must be difficult, even with the low expectations you had about your parents from the beginning. You have to understand though, that none of this is your fault. You had nothing to do with your parents activities."

"Of course I do; I'm their son. Why else would Impa shield me from the truth? She shielded me from the dishonor my parents brought onto my family name. At least in her version I had thoughts that perhaps my parents had been good people before they abandoned me. Now I know the truth. My parents were no good traitors to Hyrule, and their traitorous blood runs through me."

"I haven't known you long Gerik, but everything I've seen you do has been for the good of Hyrule. You have put your life on the line several times now in order to protect Hyrule. Now does that sound like someone who has traitorous blood."

"No, but–"

"No buts! It's either yes or no."

"No! Are you happy? What about Link and Zelda though? They must think I'm a monster, especially Link. It's because of my parents that Link never got to know his parents. What's worse is that he could've spent his childhood in the castle instead of living inside some tree."

"Link and Zelda don't think that. They know that you and your parents are two completely different subjects. As for Link, I don't think he's as upset as you would think. Link never knew his parents, so how could he be. If he had been older at the time and have spent time with his parents when they were killed, then I can see him becoming extremely upset. And as for the castle, I'm sure Link doesn't mind one bit. He's not one for all that fancy stuff. He's an adventurer, and used to the outdoors. When his mom died, the Kokiri became his family and the Kokiri Forest his home. He knows no other."

"But what am I supposed to do now? It's not like I can forget what I just learned. Till the day I die I will know the truth, and there is nothing I can do to change that. My honor has now been stripped from me, and I will never get it back. I should just kill myself right here."

"No! That is not the answer."

"Save it. I've got no one and nothing to fight for. Hyrule will be better off without me."

"No it won't! Hyrule needs you now more than ever, and. . .and. . ."

Alexis stops stuttering and leans toward Gerik. Before Gerik even realizes what is going on, Alexis kisses him. Gerik is shocked at first, but then gets into the kiss. Alexis keeps the kiss locked for quite some time before stopping. After the kiss she quickly turns her face, which is now a bright red color, away from Gerik. Gerik just sits there stunned, his face slightly red as well.

"Um, I'm sorry," said Alexis as she looked behind her to see Gerik's expression. "I shouldn't have done that."

"No, it's okay." said Gerik as he grabbed her chin slightly with his hand and guided her head so that their eyes locked. "I had been hoping to kiss you since the first moment I saw you. This is like a dream come true."

"So good, then you're not going to kill yourself?"

"Not now, not ever. The only way I'm leaving your side is in the defense of Hyrule or in the defense of you."

"And the same goes for me. Come on, Link and Zelda are probably wondering what happened to us."

"Should we tell them our good news?"

"Not yet. Let's wait for a more happier time."

Alexis and Gerik stood up without breaking their eye lock. The two of them just smiled as Gerik walked over, put his arm around Alexis, and then the two of them walked back toward the temple. As they walked Alexis leaned her head against Gerik. She knew that they would have to break this embrace when they entered the temple so Link and Zelda wouldn't get suspicious, but for the time being she was content. The only worry on her mind at that moment was whether the two of them really would survive the coming conflict.

As Alexis and Gerik reentered the temple, they noticed that Link and Zelda were missing. Gerik quickly ran upstairs to look, but when he didn't find them he ran back down to Alexis who was searching the rooms on the first floor. The two of them met back up in the middle of the room and both shook their heads at each other signaling that they hadn't found them. As Gerik started looking around he noticed that the door to the _Triforce _room was open. He tapped Alexis' shoulder and pointed toward the door.

As the two of them watched, two figures emerged from the room. As they stepped into the light they saw that it was Link and Zelda. When they were out the door slammed shut behind them. Link and Zelda jumped because of the sudden impact, but when they saw Gerik and Alexis standing there staring at them they walked over.

"We got what we came here for," said Link confidently. "It's time to go back."

"Well what is it?" asked Alexis.

"Now's not the time," said Zelda. "Don't worry though, you two will find out before the end. Gerik, are you feeling better?"

"Oh yeah, much better," Gerik replied with a grin as he shot Alexis a sideways glance. "I'm ready and willing to kick the crap out of Lord Arcana's army."

"Good, because we'll need everyone to be at their best," said Link. "Alexis, how long will it take us to get back?"

"Well all we have to do is take the path back to the oasis, and then we can teleport back to Hyrule Market with the Prelude of Light. Since we already made it past the mountain path once, we won't have to endure that heat again. That should save us about an hour. I'd say we'll be back in Hyrule Market by midnight."

"Good. That'll give us enough time to rest and then help with the war preparations in the morning. Let's go guys; we've got a war to get to."


	11. Chapter 10

The Sage Room had fallen on hard times. The magical flames that lit up the room were now just little more than flickers. The pale light they shot out was barely enough to lite up the six Sages in their weakened forms. Each one of the Sages was kneeling on their pedestals, nearly drained of all their strength. Their faces were drawn and lifeless. It was as if all six of them were dead. The only sign that they were still alive was their heavy breathing.

As the Sages laid there, pouring what little power they had left into the seal on the Evil Realm, a bright light appeared from up above. It flew down quickly and landed on the Triforce pedestal in the middle of the room. Upon landing the light transformed into Alexis. Once she was finished transforming and opened her eyes, she was shocked and horrified by what she was seeing. It was a grim sight to behold.

"Sages!" she managed to burst out. "What's happened to all of you?"

"Our powers are beginning to falter," explained Rauru through heavy breaths. "It won't be long now before we have nothing left to give."

"What will happen to the seal when your powers are gone though? Better yet, what will happen to you guys?"

"What happens to us is irrelevant," said Darunia. "All that matters is the seal, and if need be we will sacrifice ourselves to ensure that the seal remains and that Ganon stays locked away. We will not allow him to join forces with his father."

"I take it that since you are standing before us you have either succeeded in your mission or have failed," said Rauru.

"No, our mission was a success, I think," said Alexis. "Tell me, was the whole point of going there so that Link and Zelda could enter the _Triforce _room?"

"Yes. What Link and Zelda learned in that room may well be the only hope Hyrule has."

"But why didn't you tell me? We could have saved so much time by just having Link and Zelda go into the room when we arrived."

"We couldn't," stated Nabooru. "In order for Link and Zelda to enter that room they needed to have been accepted by the goddesses themselves. We weren't even sure if they would be accepted."

"So you basically sent us on a wild goose chase while the fate of Hyrule hung in the balance?"

"Yeah, if you want to think about it that way," said Ruto. "There was no doubt in my mind that they could do it. What two people have done more in the name of Hyrule than those two? If they weren't worthy enough, then I doubt that anyone would ever be allowed in there."

"But you still should have told me. If I had known and we couldn't get into that room, then we could've come back here and prepared our defenses rather than reading through all those books for no reason."

"You still fail to understand the situation," said Impa. "Hyrule stands on the brink of destruction. Everything that can be done must be done in order to prevent that from happening. Why do you think we are so weakened? Much of our power went into bringing you here to help. In times like these we cannot leave a stone unturned."

"Hold on a second. I'm the reason you guys are so weak?"

"Do not worry yourself," said Rauru. "Just like you and the others have to do all in your power to help save Hyrule, so do we. We were already weakened when we made the decision to bring you here. As a result we could not take part in this war. That's why we have you. Through you we will be aiding Hyrule. Do you understand now?"

"Yes, I think so. I just have one question though. What is it that Link and Zelda learned in that room? What was so important that we had to risk our lives to get it?"

"Even we do not know the contents of that room," explained Saria. "The only ones with the answer to that are the goddesses, and now Link and Zelda. I am sure that you will learn what they know in good time."

"Let's just hope that it all wasn't in vain. I suppose that I'm still not allowed to reveal my true identity to them?"

"Now more than ever!" piped up Rauru as if he had just gotten a sudden burst of strength. "Everyone is going to need a clear head going into this war. If you reveal yourself now, a day and a half before the war begins, you could cause serious damage."

"But I think that Link should know at least. He should know that he isn't alone in this."

"Link is the last person you can tell and you know it!" shouted Impa. "He will be the most affected by this news. He is the one person we cannot afford to have distracted."

"But he suspects something. I've had to do nothing but dodge his questions throughout our entire journey so far. I'm afraid that if I don't tell him he isn't going to trust me. For all I know he could think I'm working for Lord Arcana."

"We just have to risk it," said Ruto. "I know you care for Link, I do too, but we must do what's best for Hyrule at the moment. Link is a smart guy though. If he figures it out on his own, well there's nothing we can do about that. Just do all in your power to make sure he doesn't figure it out."

"Do not worry young one," said Rauru. "When this is all over there will be no more secrets. You can tell whoever you like. Now go! You have a war to prepare for, and we have a seal to keep intact."

"As you wish," said Alexis. "Hyrule will not fall."

* * *

Link awoke the following morning sore. Sure he trained from time to time, but he hadn't been in a battle like the one he had with those stone statues in over seven years. His body just wasn't used to it. He inched his way out of bed and began stretching. He stretched for a good twenty minutes knowing that he had to be in top form for the upcoming war. He couldn't afford to have his body give out on him. 

When he finished stretching and the soreness had left him, he pulled on his trusty old tunic, grabbed his sword, and headed out of the room. The castle was busier than he had ever seen it. There were knights running all over the place carrying weapons, wood for barricades, and other assorted items to help prepare. It was obvious to Link by the way everyone was acting that someone had already told the king that the war would start the next day around dusk.

Now even though Link saw plenty of knights running around, he didn't see one Royal Guard anyplace. The only explanation that Link could come up with was that they were all out training the civilians that had been drafted into the army. Link stepped out of the hallway he was walking down and emerged on one of the castle balconies. As he looked out he could see hundreds of people training for what would probably be their death sentence. As he looked Link couldn't help but wonder exactly how many, if any, were going to come back out of this alive.

Link soon spotted Gerik down below training some of the people. By the looks of it he had challenged ten of them to attack him, and he in turn would defend himself. They were all using wooden swords. Link guessed that he was not only training them how to fight and defend, but also how to work together. Now that Link knew where Gerik was, he turned around to go there. When he turned around though, Zelda was standing there.

"Wow!" Link said jumping back a little by this sudden surprise.

"Oh sorry," said Zelda, "I didn't expect you to turn around then. How do the troops look?"

"I won't know for sure until I get down there. Gerik's already down there training some of the troops."

"Well did you see Alexis down there? I was hoping that she could help me hone my magical abilities."

"I wasn't really looking, but I didn't see her. I only got up a little while ago, so I have no clue where she is."

"I don't know where she is either. I went to her room earlier this morning, but she wasn't there. I've been searching the castle all day. I guess I better go check the market then."

"Well I'll walk down with you. Come on."

Link and Zelda walked off the balcony and back into the castle. As they made their way through the castle, Zelda couldn't help but look at all the knights running around the castle. She saw the worry and fear that was on all of their faces. It was enough to make her own fears and worry come out. It hadn't really hit her up till now how dire the situation really was.

"Link," she said suddenly as they were walking, "do you think we're going to make it?"

"What?" asked Link, startled by this sudden question."

"Do you think we're going to make it? Do you think we can actually win this war?"

"My honest answer; I don't know. No matter how well prepared you are, no matter which side you're on, no matter your advantages, there will always be doubt. There are so many factors that can't be calculated in a war. All you can truly do is try your hardest. If it makes you feel any better Hyrule has never lost a war in its entire history."

"But going along those same lines isn't there always a first time for everything?"

"True. Where is all this coming from?"

"I don't know. I'm just afraid. I'm afraid of losing everything I have, and everything I've yet to get. This is just so different from Ganon's war, and I don't know why. What's going to happen if we win, or for that matter what's going to happen if we lose? Will there even be a Hyrule left for us if we win?"

"I don't know what's going to happen, but no matter what happens we'll get through it together."

"Oh Link, that's so sweet."

Zelda leaned over and rested her head against Link's shoulder as they continued to walk through the castle. Link was a little confused by this and wasn't sure what to do. Slowly he raised his arm and put it around Zelda. He knew Zelda needed to be comforted at the moment, and this was the only thing he could think of. The truth of the matter though, was that Link was just as scared as Zelda was. He couldn't let her know that for fear of worrying her more, so he decided to change the subject.

"So, have you noticed that Gerik and Alexis have been acting differently?" he asked.

"First you're suspicious of Alexis, and now you're suspicious of the both of them?" Zelda stated in a huff.

"No, that's not what I meant. Yes I'm still suspicious of Alexis, but I'm talking about the way Gerik and Alexis have been acting ever since Alexis went to talk with him back at the temple. They both seem a lot happier for one thing."

"Well Gerik did like her. Maybe he actually asked her out."

"Wait, how the hell do you know Gerik likes Alexis?"

"Must I remind you that Gerik and I were childhood friends? I'd be the first to know if he's in love. Actually, if I remember correctly this is the first girl he's ever liked."

"And that's one of the major reasons I don't think he asked her out. He's a fighter, not a lover. Something tells me he'd be too chicken."

"He's not the only one," Zelda said under her breath.

"What was that?" asked Link.

"Oh, I was just saying that maybe Alexis asked him out then. Either way I'm sure that they're going out. I think they make a perfect couple. I just wonder why they haven't told us?"

"I'm sure they have their reasons. It's really not something we need to worry about now. We have plenty more important things to worry about than who's going out with who."

Link and Zelda now walked across the drawbridge and out into the bright, sunny day. The sounds of wooden practice swords clashing as well as arrows flying through the air toward targets could be heard all around the area in front of the castle. Careful not to get in anyone's way, Link an Zelda made their way over to where Gerik was still practicing with those ten draftees.

All ten were still attacking Gerik, so Link figured that he was going easy on them and wasn't retaliating, that he was just simply defending. Link could tell that they were getting better, but in a real battle they would all be slaughtered by Gerik in mere seconds. Link was really surprised though at how well they were all working together. The ten of them kept trying different strategies, and when one didn't work they immediately switched to another. A thought then came to Link's mind and a crooked smile crossed his face. Zelda saw this and wondered what Link was about to do.

"Hey Gerik," cried Link, "how are things going?"

"Huh, what," stammered Gerik as he looked to see who had called him. "Oh Link, Zelda, it's owww."

With Gerik momentarily distracted, the ten draftees rushed forward and hit him with their wooden swords. Gerik got hit in the legs, chest, arms, and once in the head. Link just started laughing hysterically as Gerik fell to the ground. Link was very pleased to see that his joke had worked. Though Zelda didn't really approve of it, she couldn't help but crack a smile herself.

"Well, well, well," said Link while still laughing a little. "It's good to see that your Sheikah skills are as sharp as ever."

"Hah," Gerik yelled trying to sound serious. "You think that you tricked me into getting attacked, but actually I did that to prove a point. The most important thing to remember on the battlefield is to never get distracted. If you allow yourself to get distracted, then you'll be killed just as I would've been had those been real swords. Now go and take a breather before our next lesson."

"Are you okay Gerik?" asked Zelda with a smirk on her face knowing that what he just said was a load of crap."

"Yeah, I'll be fine. What the hell was the big idea doing that?"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," Link replied with a grin. "Moving on to serious business though; how do the troops look?"

"They all certainly got potential; that's for sure. The problem though, is that it would take about a year to even start bringing that potential out. There's no way we can get these guys ready by tomorrow night."

"Unfortunately we've got no choice. We either train them how to fight and defend themselves, or they'll be slaughtered."

"I have a feeling they're going to be slaughtered anyway."

"Um, I hate to break up this cheerful conversation," interrupted Zelda, "but Gerik, have you seen Alexis this morning."

"Who me?" Gerik said all excitedly while his face became slightly red. "Why would I know where Alexis is?"

Link and Zelda just looked at each other with knowing glances. The two of them then suppressed a chuckle as they turned back to look at Gerik, who's face was still a little red.

"I was just wondering if you knew," said Zelda. "Link has no idea where she is, and I checked the entire castle. I was just hoping that you might've known."

"Oh, well sorry," Gerik replied. "I've been out here training the troops since I got up. I can't guarantee that she never passed by, but I haven't seen her."

"Hmm, I wonder where she could be."

"Hey guys!" someone cried from far away.

Link, Gerik, and Zelda all turned toward where the voice had come from. It had come from the direction of Hyrule Market, and running from there to them was Alexis. She was waving to them and had a smile on her face, but Link thought that her smile looked a little fake, as if she was trying to cover up something that she knew. Link was beginning to wonder how she had gotten passed Gerik, but seeing as how Gerik had been training the troops she could have easily slipped by him.

"So where have you been?" Link asked blatantly when she caught up to them.

"I was out checking the outer defenses," she replied without hesitation. "I doubt very much that we'll succeed if we're pushed back to the castle during the early stages of the war. If the outer defenses can hold long enough, then we may have a chance if we do get pushed back."

"Next time you should tell someone," said Zelda. "I was looking all over the place for you. I wanted to know if you could help me hone my magic skills."

"Sure, no problem. Let's go get started right away. See you two later."

"Well I guess it's back to training the troops for me, and you as well," said Gerik as Zelda and Alexis walked off to go train in some secluded area. "Want to join me or do you want to get your own group?"

"I have some things to take care of first," replied Link. "When I'm finished I'll go get my own set of troops to train. I'll see you later."

"Um, all right. See you later then."


	12. Chapter 11

Link made his way into Hyrule Market and looked around. The once bustling city was now nothing more than a ghost town. Link had never seen the place so deserted. The doors to all the buildings were shut and there was no light coming from any of the windows. Link was also stunned by how quiet the city was. Except for the back alleyways, Hyrule Market always had the sounds of a thriving city in it. To Link it was as if some disease had infected the city and wiped out all life.

As Link made his way deeper into the city, he could hear the distant sounds of voices. He looked up to see dozens of knights making final preparations on the outer wall. Barricades were being set up behind the entrance just in case the enemy broke through the drawbridge. Link also watched as knights were bringing quivers of arrows and barrels full of bombs and spears up onto the castle walls.

Link now turned and made his way toward the Temple of Time. He hadn't set foot in the temple since returning to the past, and he was a little reluctant to now. He didn't know what memories being back there would bring up. He wasn't even sure why he was heading there in the first place. It was like he was being drawn there by instinct. As he passed by the four gossip stones sitting outside the temple, he wished that he still had his Mask of Truth. He wondered what kind of advice the stones would be able to give him.

The first thing Link noticed upon entering the temple was the altar where the three spiritual stones were to be placed to gain access to the Master Sword. The altar was empty now. Link and Zelda had long ago taken the three stones and destroyed them to prevent anyone from ever trying to open the Sacred Realm again. Link was really regretting that decision now since it also prevented him from getting the Master Sword. Back then though they believed that no one could ever be as bad as Ganon.

Link walked over to the altar and placed a hand on it. He stared at the indentations in the altar where the Kokiri's Emerald, Goron's Ruby, and Zora's Sapphire belonged. Link couldn't help but wonder as he stood there if there was another way to get the Master Sword. With a heavy sigh Link tapped the altar a few times and headed to the door. He walked back outside and took one last look at the temple before walking into the city again.

As soon as Link was back in the city he headed over to the wall. As he approached he had a better view of everything the knights were doing. The barricade that they were building behind the entrance was being built in a semicircle out of thick bricks. As Link looked beyond that he could see that the portcullis had been lowered and three knights were inspecting it. Link now looked up on top of the wall and saw the Captain of the Royal Guard giving out orders to the other knights. Link decided to go have a talk with him and headed over to the stairs on his left that lead up to the top of the wall.

When Link reached the top of the wall he froze in his tracks. Since the Kokiri Forest was directly south of the castle, he had a clear view all the way to the forest. The entire southern region of Hyrule was covered in thick, black smoke. Link looked at where the smoke was currently rising from and saw that it wasn't too far away from the Kokiri Forest. Both anger and despair were welling up within Link as he stared out toward his home.

"Grim sight, isn't it?" asked the Captain of the Royal Guard when he saw Link staring out toward the south.

"Yeah, it is," Link replied dismally. "The worst part is that it won't be long before those fires reach my home. So how go the preparations on the wall?"

"As well as can be expected. I mean, this is where all the fighting will take place. If the wall is breached we're sunk."

"You don't really mean that. You can still put up a fight if the wall is breached."

"That's merely an illusion. I mean, you've been in the castle dozens of times. Does it really look like the castle was designed to withstand a siege. This wall serves as protection not only for the city, but for the castle as well."

"You can't be serious."

"Just think about it. At least we have the advantage though. They can't use ladders because of the moat, so the only way in is through the drawbridge, which will obviously be up. Even if they manage to get through, they'd still have to get passed the portcullis and the small barricade we're setting up down there. After that we'll be reduced to fighting in the streets, and it will have to be in the streets that we make our final stand."

"But the castle can't be that defenseless."

"Damn you're thick. Why do you think there's a giant gate blocking the only road to the castle, and a fence after that which surrounds the moat? If any fighting is to be done at the castle it will have to be out in the field. The only way we could attack from the castle would be to separate our forces and have them attack from the many balconies. If they can breach through the defenses here though, then it won't be hard for them to break through the castle's defenses and then the fighting would have to take place inside the castle where we would eventually be overwhelmed. Now do you understand?"

"I never knew how vulnerable the castle was. No wonder Ganon was able to destroy it so easily."

"What did you say?"

"Oh nothing; just mumbling to myself. Well Captain, I bet you just can't believe that by tomorrow night Hyrule Field will be filled with our enemy."

"Tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, didn't you know?"

"I knew the attack was coming soon, but not that soon. Sorry Link, but I've got to get back to work. We've got a lot of work to do."

"Wait, before you go I need to ask you something. Was Alexis out here before inspecting the wall?"

"Who?"

"She's tall, has long brown hair, wears golden armor."

"Oh yeah, the chick in the golden armor. I saw her leave the Temple of Time a little while ago and head toward the castle. She came no where near the wall. Why, is something wrong?"

"No, just checking up on something. I'll let you get back to your work."

As the Captain ran off Link turned back to stare toward the south. The black smoke was continuing to rise. Link knew that all of his thoughts should be focused on the upcoming war, especially with what he just learned, but he couldn't get Alexis out of his mind. All other thoughts were immediately replaced with thoughts about Alexis.

"She lied to us," Link finally said to himself. "Why would she do that? Why did she go to the Temple of Time? Nothing is making any sense. Could she be in touch with the Sages? No, she would've told us if that were the case. . .or would she? That voice. . .where is that voice from? Who is she really?"

Link continued to stare toward the south as he said this. He then slowly turned his head to the left and saw Death Mountain. He now turned his head to the right and saw the entrance to Lake Hylia. Not knowing what else to do, he turned back toward the Kokiri Forest. As he stood there staring at the forest, he couldn't help but wonder exactly what was going on. As he started to wonder whether the Kokiri were still safe, a smile slowly crept along his face.

"No, she couldn't be," he said with a certain excitement in his voice. "It's impossible, but that voice is unmistakable. How though? The Sages maybe. But why wouldn't she have told me? There's only one way to be sure. If she is who I think she is, then there's nobody else who can do what I'm thinking of. I'll have to wait till tomorrow though. I don't have the time to set my plan into motion right now. I better start heading back before they start to wonder where I am. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner."

Now with a certain spring in his step, Link made his way off of the wall and through the city toward the castle. Already ideas were forming in his head on how to prove who Alexis really was, but he tried to push them aside for the moment. He could think about that later on that night. Right now he had to concentrate on training the recruits.

As Link approached the castle, he stopped and for the first time looked around at all the people who had been drafted. There were a lot of familiar faces. Link immediately spotted Talon, Ingo, and the Carpenter Boss and all of his workers. Link remembered seeing Talon and Ingo heading for Kakariko Village though, but figured that they must have just been setting up a place for Malon. After all, the king had decreed that all able-bodied men were to report for service.

Link now turned to where Gerik was training and saw that in addition to the ten people he had been training earlier, there was now a group of about twenty others standing around them in a circle. Link knew that Gerik wouldn't take on that many people to train, so he guessed that the Royal Guards were sending the recruits to train with Gerik after they had taught the recruits the basics. No matter how much they trained from now till tomorrow night though, Link knew they would not be ready to take on fully trained soldiers. Their only hope was to keep them from breaching the wall.

With that thought in mind Link headed over to the archery range. Link decided that he would leave the hand-to-hand training in Gerik's hands, and he would teach them how to fire a bow. He believed that if he could at least teach these people how to shoot straight, then it might not even be necessary for hand-to-hand combat. He had to wonder though whether any of them had even fired a bow before in their life.

The archery range was made up of twenty targets. The targets were life-size mannequins made out of straw. There were targets painted in red on their chests and foreheads. They were attached to wooden poles in the ground. Dozens of arrows already littered the area around the mannequins, and there were very few arrows sticking out of the mannequins themselves. Whether it was poor marksmanship or they had been removed by hand, there were absolutely no arrows anywhere within the targets painted on the mannequins.

Not liking what he was seeing, Link turned to the recruits who were learning how to fire a bow. There were twenty of them standing there, one per target, and they each had a full quiver of arrows next to them. Looking at them, Link could see that many of them were nervous. It was nearing noon, so Link knew he better start training them. Some way or another, he had to train several hundred people how to fire a bow in less than a day and a half.

"Alright everyone," Link shouted out to the twenty archers, "I'm going to be your instructor. Now I need to turn each and every one of you into top-notch archers by tomorrow night. That doesn't give us much time. Now I'm going to take a shot, and I want all of you to watch me carefully. Watch how I stand, how I aim, and how I draw my bow."

Link walked over to the closest target and pulled his bow from around his shoulder. He planted his feet firmly into the ground and pulled an arrow out from his quiver. He placed the notch of the arrow into the bowstring and pulled back. He held both the arrow and bow firmly in his hands and aimed at the target. Everyone watched intently as Link released the arrow. The arrow flew straight through the air and hit the bullseye of the target on the forehead.

"Okay, now I don't expect all of you to do that right off the bat. I just want you to get the hang of it first. Now when you're aiming, keep both of your eyes open. I know you just saw me fire with only one eye open, but that's because I know which eye is my dominant eye. It'll take too long to teach you how to find your dominant eye, and since you could be accidently closing your dominant eye when firing, it'll just be easier to keep both eyes open. Now let's see what you guys can do."

"Um, excuse me sir," asked one of the recruits, "but where exactly should we aim for. I know that there are spots painted on the targets, but that's assuming they're not wearing any armor."

"You bring up a very good point. The spots painted on the targets are ideal for unarmored foes. The enemies we will be facing won't all be unarmored. Most will be wearing chain mail, but there will also be others in full-body armor. For those wearing the full-body armor, there are only two weak spots; the neck and under the arms. There is no miracle in this kingdom that'll have you able to hit those two spots, so don't even bother. Save you arrows for everyone else. For those wearing the chain mail, if the arrow has enough force it will pierce the mail. If your not confident in the strength of your arrows though, then aim for the head.. Now if there are no more questions, let's see what you guy's got."

All twenty recruits now turned to face their targets. Together they all pulled an arrow out of their quivers and notched them into the bow. They drew their bows back, aimed, and let loose the barrage of arrows. Link winced as the arrows flew in all directions. Only three of the arrows actually landed on the targets, but two of them weren't even close to the bullseye. The other arrow though, had hit the bullseye perfectly. Link didn't notice this though because he had his head buried in his hands.

"Okay," Link said as he slightly raised his head out of his hands, "that wasn't bad for a first try. You all fired the bow correctly, so there's nothing more I can really teach you. All you can do now is practice your aiming. If it helps, you can picture somebody you really hate and would love to shoot with an arrow. Just keep shooting, and when I think you're good enough I'll come over and send you to get some training with a sword. Good luck."

Now free to fire at will, the twenty recruits drew their arrows and fired one arrow after another at the targets. Link watched with increasing interest as the arrows were starting to get closer to the targets instead of hitting the ground around them. One by one, Link looked down the row of targets to see how everyone was doing and stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing one of the targets in the middle. He was in complete shock to see that one of the recruits had so far made six perfect bull's-eyes.

Wanting to meet this amazing archer, Link made his way over to where the archer stood. He had been standing behind the archers to see how well they shot, so he couldn't see the archer's face. All he could see of the archer from where he currently stood was that the archer had long, red hair. Thinking that he had seen that long, red hair somewhere before, Link stopped dead when he tapped the archer on the shoulder and she turned around. It was Malon.

"Malon!" Link shouted out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, when I ran into you guys the other day and learned just how serious the situation was, I decided to help out. I mean, the king did ask for any women who knew how to fight, and as you can see I'm an expert with a bow. Since Ingo and my dad were coming to fight, I came also."

"There's no way your father would've gone along with this."

"No, at first he was against the idea. I just convinced him otherwise. I'm a grown woman and I'm capable of making my own decisions."

"But this is going to be too dangerous. You should head back to Kakariko Village now while you've still got the chance."

"Oh no, not you too. Listen, judging by what you yourself told me, if you guys lose this battle then Kakariko Village won't be safe. There won't be anywhere that's safe. I'll probably end up dying anyway, so if I am going to die I'm going to die fighting. Besides, other than you who can shoot a bow. Me, that's who. Whether you like it or not you need me."

"I refuse to stand by and watch one of my friends get killed. Sure you may be good with a bow, but what happens when they breach the wall and a bow is no longer useful and we have to resort to swords. I seriously doubt that your skills with a sword are even half as good as your skills with a bow."

"No, you're right. In truth, I've never even picked up a sword before. I know how to pick my battles, and I've already planned everything out. I'm not going to be foolish enough to try training with a sword now, so if the wall is breached I will immediately retreat back to the castle. You have my promise on that."

"No, I won't allow it. I want you to pack up your things and go back to Kakariko Village."

"Link, I'm staying. Now you and me have been good friends since we were kids. Don't ruin our friendship over something this trivial. I'm staying no matter what you or anyone else says, so you better just accept it or consider our friendship over. I know you're worried about my safety, but you seem to have no problems with having Zelda fight, or your other two friends I saw you with. Face it, you need my bow."

Link started to say something, but stopped. Malon just stood there staring at him with one of the most serious looks on her face that Link had ever seen. He looked at her, and then lowered his head in thought. The thought of her, or any of his friends dying, was a lot to bear. Even so, she did have a point that her bow was greatly needed. He also had to admit that she had a point that he was letting his other friends fight.

"Alright," Link said reluctantly, "you win. You can stay and fight."

"Yes, I knew you wouldn't disappoint me," Malon replied happily as she gave Link a big hug. "Well, since I'm not going to be training with a sword, and I don't think I need to train with my bow anymore, how about I help you train the recruits? We can split them between the two of us and we can train them twice as fast."

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I just have one question though. When did you become such a great archer?"

"I've been practicing with a bow since I was a little kid. Surprisingly, you run out of things to do at the ranch pretty quickly. This was just something I did to pass the time. Who knew it would be needed to save Hyrule. Well, we better get to training. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Yeah, you're right about that. Look out!"

Link quickly tackled Malon to the ground as a fireball flew past them and collided into the hillside. They both got up off the ground and looked in the direction of where the fireball had come from. They saw Zelda and Alexis standing far off in the distance.

"Sorry about that," Zelda shouted. "I lost control of that one."

"Yep, we definitely have a lot of work ahead of us," said Link.


	13. Chapter 12

It was a dismal morning the following day. The sun shone brightly, but a collection of grey clouds let only a little of that sunlight through. The ground was damp from a rain storm that had occurred during the night, and by the looks of the clouds there could be another one before the day was up. For the entire southern region of Hyrule, not one bit of sunlight could pierce the thick, black smoke rising from the ruins of the Lost Woods.

In the Kokiri Forest, only a few trees remained as a barrier between the Lost Woods and the Kokiri Forest. With the flick of a wrist, five Wizzrobes shot fireballs out of their wands and into the trees totally incinerating them on impact. As the flames died down, hundreds of Arcanites flooded through the opening and into the Kokiri Forest.

The Arcanites immediately spread out and searched every house in the forest. They turned the houses upside down looking for anyone that might be hiding. When they were sure the area was clear, they sent a runner back into the Lost Woods and then formed ranks. They waited until a trumpet sounded and then quickly stood at attention. As they stared at the entrance to the Lost Woods, several columns of Darknuts came marching through. Though there was no sunlight shining through the smoke, the Darknuts armor still shone brilliantly.

When the columns of Darknuts had finished, another figure stepped through the entrance. He stood at least seven feet tall, and his body was built like a god. On his chest he wore a black chest plate, and the rest of his body was protected in reinforced leather. On his shoulders he wore spiked shoulder pads. A long, broad sword hung from his side. His face resembled that of Ganon's, except is was much older looking and battle-worn. His one distinguishing feature was a deep, nasty scar that ran diagonally from the top of his right eye all the way down to his neck.

"Lord Arcana sir," said one of the Arcanites, bowing as he did so, "the Kokiri Forest has been secured. There are no signs of any traps or ambushes, and the Kokiri are nowhere to be found."

"I'm a little disappointed to see that no one is here to greet us," Lord Arcana replied with a wicked looking grin. "Send word back to the camp that the forest is secure. Tell everyone to start making their way here. When they arrive, allow them rest. I'm not about to go into battle with a weary army. You all can rest for now. The attack begins at sunset. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

Lord Arcana now made his way down into the forest. Two Darknuts went to follow as an escort, but he waved them back. This was something that Lord Arcana wanted to do himself. As he made his way down into the deserted forest, he looked around for the entrance to the Deku Tree. He missed it at first, but on second glance he saw what looked like an opening that was overgrown with big, thick vines. He smiled another wicked smile as he made his way over to the vines.

Lord Arcana stopped right before the vines and stared at them. He could definitely tell that there was an opening behind them. Lord Arcana extended a hand and touched one of them. The vine rustled, and it had looked to those that were watching that the vine had winced under Lord Arcana's touch. Lord Arcana just let out a loud, bellowing laugh that echoed throughout the entire forest.

"Your powers are slipping Great Deku Tree," he stated when he was finished laughing. "I was expecting more of a challenge from you than this. You can't even hide yourself properly. It's time for you to meet your doom."

Lord Arcana drew his sword out of it's sheath. The blade of the sword was as black as his armor. As Lord Arcana stood there holding his sword, he started pumping some of his magical energy into it. When the sword started to glow, he raised the sword high up, and in a super quick move slashed through the thick, vines as if they were tissue paper. The vines stayed in place despite being cut in half, but at the edges where it was cut the vines began to decay. The decay quickly spread throughout all of the vines and before long the vines were nothing more than mush on the ground.

Lord Arcana now looked beyond and saw another such wall of vines. He walked over to them and did the exact same thing he did to the first wall of vines. He had to do this two more times before finally gaining access to the Deku Tree Meadow. When he finally gained access, his heart dropped at the sight of the decaying ruins of the original Great Deku Tree. Wondering how the forest was still able to defend itself without the Deku Tree, Lord Arcana lowered his head in thought. As he did so he saw the Deku Tree Sprout.

"Ah, now I understand," Lord Arcana laughed. "My son killed the original Deku Tree. It looks like he was too weak though to prevent him from regenerating."

"So you're the infamous Lord Arcana," stated the Deku Tree Sprout. "As I understand it you and my predecessor were mortal enemies in days long past."

"You got that right. In a way I'm glad my son didn't fully destroy the original Deku Tree, but I'm more disappointed with what he left me; a pathetic stump with hardly any power at all. I was wondering why it was so easy for my forces to make their way through the Lost Woods, and if your predecessor was still alive I'd still be searching for this meadow."

"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture. I'm nothing compared to the original. I did my part though. I stalled you as long as I could so that Hyrule could prepare themselves. I have no regrets with what is about to happen to me."

"Ah, the scent of sweet victory. I just hope it will be this sweet when I finish off those meddlesome Sages."

"So you are the reason why the Sages are losing their power?"

"Well duh, I thought it was obvious. I knew the Sages could prove to be a nuisance if left unchecked, so I made sure to eliminate them from the equation. No Sages equals an easy victory for me. Besides, with the Sages gone I can break the seal on my son, release him from his prison, and then kill him so that I can receive what is rightfully mine, the Triforce of Power. Mwhahahahahaha."

"You won't win. You can kill me, and you can kill the Sages but you will not win. The people of Hyrule will not go down without a fight."

"Yes, I already know that much from this little one. He was. . .quite annoying."

Lord Arcana snapped his fingers and in a big explosion of smoke, Mido popped out of thin air and fell face first into the ground. His tunic was torn all over, and his body was covered in bruises and cuts. He moaned as he tried to stand up.

"Mido!" shouted the Deku Tree Sprout.

"Deku. . .Tree. . .I'm. . .sorry," was all Mido managed to say.

"This one, playing the part of the hero, fought us with every last ounce of his strength so that his fellow Kokiri could run and hide," said Lord Arcana. "I must give him credit though. He managed to kill three of my Lizalfos before being subdued."

"Why are you doing this?" asked the Deku Tree in a worried tone. "The Kokiri mean you no harm. They are not warriors. Do with me what you will, but leave them alone."

"Oh, I plan on doing to you what I will, but I will not forget about the Kokiri. I know their secret. I know that the Kokiri hold the life of Hyrule within them, and if they die then so does Hyrule. But first, it's time for you to meet your end."

Lord Arcana raised his right hand above his head. It began to glow, and within seconds a huge fireball had formed. With a mighty swing of his arm, Lord Arcana threw the fireball directly into the Deku Tree Sprout. The Deku Tree Sprout was incinerated immediately, but not before experiencing an excruciating death.

"Noooooooo!" shouted Mido as he leapt up off the ground and charged at Lord Arcana.

Lord Arcana just smiled as he watched Mido run at him. Before Mido could even reach him though, Lord Arcana extended his arm out in front of him and toward Mido. Mido stopped dead in his tracks and scrunched his body as if he were being crushed. Lord Arcana then raised his arm and Mido was lifted up off the ground.

"Foolish Kokiri," Lord Arcana chuckled, "you are no match for me."

"Maybe. . .so," choked Mido, "but. . .Link. . .will. . .stop. . .you."

"Nobody can stop me now."

Lord Arcana now clenched his fist tight and Mido exploded in a brilliant eruption. With a smile on his face Lord Arcana wiped off the few drops of Mido's blood that had splattered on him. He then turned to face the smoldering ruins of the Deku Tree Sprout. He couldn't help but laugh as he watched the cinders of the Deku Tree Sprout slowly burn out, and the dust from Mido's explosion slowly drift to the ground.

"Ah, the first two casualties of this war," stated Lord Arcana with a grin, "and they won't be the last. Ah, I just love the smell of death and destruction in the morning. There's only one thing that can top this, and that'll be the sweet, sweet smell of victory. Mwhahahahahaha."

* * *

Zelda ran out of the castle in a hurry. Clenched in her right hand was a piece of paper. She had gotten up an hour ago and was planning to rest until she continued her training with Alexis, but a messenger had interrupted her rest with a note from Link. The note had asked Zelda to find both Alexis and Gerik and then come meet him, so after searching the entire castle and having no luck she came outside. 

It didn't take her long to see a set of golden armor twinkling in the distance and a dark blue outfit against a green background. She wasn't surprised to see the two of them together seeing as how both she and Link believed that they were now a couple, so she was actually anxiously wondering what excuse the two of them would come up with when she reached them. As Zelda approached, she saw Gerik leaning in to kiss Alexis. As much as she would've loved to see that, she had more urgent matters to attend to.

"Gerik, Alexis, there you are," Zelda shouted as if she had just seen them.

"Um Zelda, what are you doing here?" asked Alexis as she tried to hide her now deep red face. "I thought you wanted to rest a bit before training today."

"Yeah, I did but Link sent this note to me. He told me that he had urgent news, and that I was supposed to find the two of you and the three of us are to meet him at the Bombchu shop. I'm a little worried. I mean, why would Link send this in a note rather than come to us?"

"I don't know," replied Gerik, "but it must be important. Even though I've only known Link for a few days, I know he wouldn't pull anything, especially with a major battle only hours away. Let's see, if I remember correctly the Bombchu shop is located in a back alleyway. Well whatever it is, apparently Link doesn't want anyone eavesdropping. We better get going."

Note still clenched in her hand, Zelda started off at a fast pace toward Hyrule Market. Alexis and Gerik nearly had to jog to keep up with her. Just by Zelda's pace Alexis and Gerik could tell that she was worried. The two of them just hoped that her worries were unwarranted. Things were already bad enough as it were without Link adding more troubles to the list.

Not wasting any time upon entering Hyrule Market, Zelda quickly made her way down the nearest alleyway with Alexis and Gerik on her heels. They weaved in and out of several alleys trying to get to the one that contained the Bombchu shop. Zelda was far ahead of Gerik and Alexis by this point, and she showed no signs of slowing down. Gerik had to wonder though as they progressed from alley to alley whether Zelda really knew where she was going or if she was just checking every alley she passed in hopes of finding Link.

As Gerik looked around, he finally found a familiar landmark and knew that the Bombchu shop was down the next alley. He yelled out to Zelda, who was halfway down the alley they were currently in, to take a left at the next intersection. Zelda did so, but stopped dead in her tracks when she did. Alexis and Gerik saw this and ran with all their might to see what the problem was. When they looked they saw Link's body lying face down in the street with an arrow sticking out of his back.

"Link!" screamed Zelda, Alexis, and Gerik at the same time.

"Aha!" shouted Link as he jumped up off the ground seemingly unharmed. "I knew it was you. Oh shit!"

"You GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!" shouted Zelda as she stormed over to Link and started hitting him. "You scared me half to death! I ought to burn you to a crisp right where you stand!"

"Ow. . .Zelda stop. . .ow. . .I'm sorry. . .please. . .that hurts," stammered Link as Zelda continued her attack. "Come on. . .ow. . .quit it already. Just give me. . .ow. . .a chance to explain."

"Fine, but you better have one hell of an excuse for pulling this stunt."

"Don't worry, I do. Remember when I kept telling you that there was more to Alexis than she was letting on; that she was hiding her true identity from us. I finally figured it out yesterday, but I just needed to prove it."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Gerik. "Alexis is Alexis. Who else could she be?"

"Just look at her Gerik. She's getting all nervous because she knows I've discovered the truth. Why she didn't come out and tell me right away though is beyond me."

"Just get on with it already," stated Zelda with a serious look on her face. "I'm still waiting for your excuse."

"Anyway, as I was saying I needed to prove who I believed Alexis to be. I wasn't lying when I said her voice was extremely familiar to me. What I needed to do though, was make her do something that nobody else could. I needed to make her scream out my name in a worried tone. The only way I could do that was to either have someone hurt me or fake my own death."

"But in order for you to know how she screams your name out in a worried tone, that means the two of you would've had to travel together and have been in danger together. I thought you said that you've never seen her before though?"

"That's true, I haven't seen her before. The reason is that her voice remained the same, but her physical form didn't. It's true that we've been in danger together; the worst kind of danger. It was the two of us that took on Ganon's army seven years ago. Isn't that right, Navi?"

Link kept his expression calm and composed as he said this. He just looked straight at Alexis without a hint of what he was feeling at the moment. Zelda and Gerik were the complete opposite. Both of them had their mouths wide open in shock as they too stared at Alexis. Alexis wasn't looking at anyone. She had her head lowered, and as a result her expression was unknown.

"Navi?" Gerik managed to say after a while. "Are. . .are you mental or something? Navi was your fairy companion, wasn't she? I mean, just look at her. Does she even remotely look like a fairy? I. . .I. . ."

"Gerik, please stop," said Alexis solemnly as she slowly raised her head. "Link is correct. My real name is Navi, not Alexis. I was the fairy that accompanied Link on his journey seven years ago, and then left when the adventure was over. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you guys sooner, especially you Link."

"But why?" asked Link, his expression turning soft. "Why didn't you tell us from the very beginning who you were? Why all the secrets?"

"I didn't want to do it, but the Sages ordered me to. They didn't want something like my return after all these years to distract you from the danger at hand. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but I had no choice but to obey their wishes."

"Wait, you've been in contact with the Sages?" asked Zelda. "I've been trying to contact them for days now. Why haven't they answered my calls?"

"Because they didn't want what is affecting them to start affecting you. You see, something is draining the Sage's power. They believe that it's Lord Arcana. They are very weak right now. They are standing at Death's doorstep."

"Hold on a second," said Gerik, disbelief still in his eyes. "How can you be Navi? Navi was a fairy. She was small enough to fit in Link's hat. You're a grown woman. It just doesn't make any sense."

"Actually Gerik, this is my true form. I am a Guardian of the Triforce. You see, it's our duty to protect the Triforce at all costs. Seven years ago, that involved my accompanying Link on his journey to save Hyrule."

"But why were you a fairy?" asked Link, his own confusion now growing. "I mean, another warrior sure would've been useful. And what do you mean by Guardian of the Triforce? I've never heard of that before."

"Zelda can explain it. Since she's a Sage I'm sure she knows all about the Guardians."

"Well, I know the history behind them anyway," said Zelda when all eyes had fallen on her. "Before the six current Sages, there was obviously another group of Sages. Unfortunately, something happened that no one could've ever predicted. Three of the Sages became corrupted by the allure of the Triforce and tried to seize it. The other three Sages who remained true to their duty fought them, and a battle of the Sages ensued. The battle lasted several months if I recall, and in the end the three good Sages emerged victorious. With three of the Sages dead though, a new group of Sages had to be awakened, the same ones that you yourself had to awaken Link. Though having to relinquish their status as a Sage, the Goddesses themselves bestowed a unique honor among them. They made them Guardians of the Triforce, protectors of the sacred triangle till the end of time."

"You mean to tell me that you were once a Sage?" asked Link dumbfounded.

"That's right," replied Navi. "Little old me was once a Sage. Since there were three of us, each one of the goddesses took us for their own. I was chosen by Farore."

"But you still haven't explained why you were a fairy when you helped Link out," said Gerik.

"The Guardian's home is in the Sacred Realm with the Triforce. It is in there that we keep our true forms. Within there time stands still. I haven't aged a day since becoming a Guardian. In order to come to this realm though, our bodies are transformed so as not to disrupt our true selves. The reason I am in my true form now is because of the Sages. Together they used what power they had left to bring me into this realm in my true form. As a result I can longer go back, but that's a small price to pay when it comes to Hyrule and you guys."

"Who are the other two Guardians?" asked Link.

"Well, you already met the second one. Remember the owl that helped you out seven years ago, Kaepora Gaebora? He's also a Guardian. He was chosen by Naryu. The third Guardian, is no longer with us. When we realized the danger Ganon posed, it was decided that two of us would come to this realm and help you Link, while the third stayed behind to protect the Triforce. She died when Ganon made his way into the Sacred Realm and tried to get the Triforce. She fought her hardest, but he was too powerful. With her dying breath she separated the three pieces of the Triforce so Ganon couldn't get his hands on it. Her name was Alexis."

"Well that explains where you got the name Alexis from at least. Well Navi, it's certainly good to see you again. It's also nice to see that you've found someone special."

"What do you mean!" asked both Navi and Gerik astonished, their faces starting to blush.

"Oh come on you two," said Zelda with a smile, "the two of you are so obvious. Link and I figured it out early yesterday. You both may be good warriors, but you stink at trying to hide your love from others."

"Yeah," said Link, "I mean, did you really think you could hide it from me. I've been on enough adventures to figure out even the toughest puzzle, so something like this was a breeze."

"Sure, for other people he can figure it out, but yet he can't even see what's right under his own nose," Gerik whispered to himself as he walked over to a nearby stoop and sat down.

"Gerik wanted to tell you guys as soon as it happened," said Navi, "but I convinced him to wait. I wanted to wait until the war was over and I would be allowed to reveal myself to you guys. Actually, I wanted to tell Gerik my true identity first before we told you guys our little secret."

"Oh, I understand," said Link as he looked over at Gerik. "Um Zelda, why don't we let these two talk for a bit. Let's go check out the preparations being made on the wall."

"But why would we. . .oh, okay," said Zelda nodding in understanding. "Let's go then."

With that Zelda and Link walked away without another word. That left just Navi standing there and Gerik still sitting on the stoop. Navi had been regretting this moment ever since their first kiss. She knew that he had loved her as Alexis, but she wasn't sure how he was going to react now that she was herself. So far he hadn't said a word about their relationship, only about how she could be Navi, but she figured that he kept quiet because Link and Zelda were there. She had rehearsed this moment in her head many times before, but now that it was actually here she wasn't sure what to do. Finally gathering all of her nerve, she turned around and walked over to Gerik.

"Gerik, I am so sorry about all this," Navi said with her head down. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"What's there to be sorry about?" Gerik replied in his usual cheerful tone. "I mean, nothing's changed, has it? The only difference is that I have to start getting used to calling you Navi."

"Yeah, but I thought. . .never mind."

"Thought what, that I wouldn't love you anymore?"

"Well yeah. I didn't know how you were going to react to my past. I used to be a fairy for heavens sake. Let's also not forget about the fact that I've been lying to you and Link and Zelda since the beginning."

"Listen sweetie, I don't care about your past. All that matters is the present. And about you being a fairy, who cares? I love you for what's on the inside, not the outside. Sure, I'll admit that I was at first taken in by just your looks, but if you were to turn back into a fairy at this very moment I would still love you the same. You are the first person that I have ever loved, and you can quote Zelda on this. I'm not about to give you up just because you kept your true identity from me."

"I. . .I don't know what to say. You know, underneath that gruff exterior you're the sweetest guy I know."

"Yeah I know, and you're the sweetest girl I know. Now get over here and give me a kiss."

With a big smile Navi ran over to Gerik and the two of them embraced each other in a big hug. In no time at all though, they had pulled their heads apart so that they were staring into each other's eyes. Gerik then leaned in and gave Navi a lengthy kiss, the same kiss that he was going to give her earlier when Zelda had interrupted. After the kiss, Gerik wrapped his arm around Navi and the two of them headed to the wall to catch up with Zelda and Link.

As the two of them approached the wall, they could see that much work had been done to the wall since the day before. The barricade that the knights had been building was finally finished. It was four feet high, and whatever quivers of arrows and barrels of bombs and spears that couldn't fit on top of the wall were situated behind it. Also situated behind the barricade as well as on top of the wall were torches, all waiting to be lit for the battle.

Navi and Gerik finally spotted Link and Zelda standing on top of the wall. They were talking to the Captain of the Royal Guard. Navi and Gerik tried to see if the conversation was a good one or bad one by the expressions on Link's and Zelda's face, but they were too far away. Not wanting to wait for Link and Zelda to come to them, Navi and Gerik started making their way up the wall.

"Well there you two are," said Zelda as she spotted them walking over. "I see that everything is good between you two."

"You bet it is," said Gerik before he kissed Navi on the cheek. "Tell me Zelda, have you ever seen me so happy before?"

"No, I can honestly say I haven't. You've certainly had an effect on him Navi."

"Well, he's had an effect on me too. I've never been this happy either. So what are you guys talking to the Captain about?"

"The strength of the Hylian Army," Link replied as he entered the conversation. "The Captain was just telling me our numbers, and I'm glad to say that they're pretty good. We have 200 Royal Guards and 300 regular knights from the actual army. In addition to that we have roughly 700 recruits. That gives us a total of about 1,200 troops. Now the Gorons and Zoras have promised us 500 troops each, but they won't arrive until tomorrow morning. So basically by tomorrow morning, if we can hold out, we can have a total of 2,200 troops. That's a hell of a lot better then I thought it would be."

"It won't be enough," Navi said gloomily.

"What do you mean? Do you know the strength of Lord Arcana's Army? If so tell us."

"50,000 strong, at least."

Link's, Zelda's and Gerik's hearts all sank at that moment. They just stood there, wide-eyed, staring at Navi. The Captain of the Royal Guard had overheard Navi as well and he had stopped what he was doing. They were all shocked, and none of them had any clue as to what to say."

"50,000 strong," said the Captain. "That's it, we've lost. We can't defend against an army of that size. We should just abandon the castle now while we still have the chance."

"Bite your tongue Captain!" ordered Zelda. "There is always hope. We will not abandon this castle, and we will not give up. If need be we will fight to the last man, but we will not allow these invaders to just come in unopposed."

"I'm sorry your highness. Please forgive me."

"Captain," said Link, "send out riders to the Gorons and Zoras. Tell them that we need those troops tonight, otherwise there may not be a Hyrule to come to the rescue of in the morning. Now go, get going. As for the rest of us. . .Gerik, hey Gerik! What the hell are you doing?"

Not answering, Gerik grabbed a hold of the edge of the wall and flung himself over it. Link, Zelda, and especially Navi ran over to the edge to see what he was doing. As he was falling, Gerik did a midair flip and landed on his feet onto the drawbridge below. He then ran out into the field a little bit so that he had a clear view of the others.

"Gerik, what the hell do you think you're doing?" yelled Navi.

"I'm sorry honey, but this is something that I must do. We need more troops."

"You're going to the Gerudo?" asked Zelda.

"There's no other choice. You're father may be too pig-headed to ask for their help, but I'm not. Whether he likes it or not we need them. Don't worry, I will be coming back, and I won't be alone. I'm not about to turn my back on Hyrule like my parents did. It's about time I started regaining some of the honor my parents lost. I'll see you all again, I promise."

"Gerik, why does it have to be you," Navi said to herself as Gerik ran off toward the Gerudo Valley.

"Don't worry Navi," said Zelda. "Gerik always keeps his promises. Isn't that right Link? Link?"

"This is it," said Link as he stared off towards the south. "The pieces are all set, and each side now patiently awaits their doom. Each side knows what is expected of them, and though filled with fear they are ready to fulfill those expectations. It will be before these walls that the fate of not only Hyrule, but all those who dwell within it is decided. The War of the Triforce is about to begin."


	14. Chapter 13

The grey clouds above had now turned as black as the smoke still rising from the ruins of the Lost Woods and threatened to unleash the thunderstorm sleeping within at any moment. Off in the west, where the cloud cover was less, the last bits of the sun left were slowly beginning to set. As Hyrule was being blanketed in darkness, several soldiers were walking along the wall and behind the barricade lighting the torches that had been placed there for this occasion.

It was quiet, and this was unnerving for the soldiers that were now situated on the wall. They had never heard Hyrule so quiet before. Lon Lon Ranch sat off in the distance as just a dark blur. There were no lights coming from it. Other than the torches, the only light that they could see were a few distant lights from Kakariko Village, and even they were less than normal. Even though there were lights, not one sound could be heard coming from Kakariko Village. It was as if they were trying to remain hidden from the coming conflict.

The drawbridge was closed for the first time in seven years, and behind it the portcullis, which hadn't been lowered in an even longer time, was down and ready to prevent any enemy troops from getting through. Hyrule Market sat as quiet and as dark as Lon Lon Ranch, which was a first in the entire history of Hyrule. Even the water flowing through the moat sounded quieter than normal.

All along the length of the wall stood the Hylian Army, all poised and ready for the coming conflict. They stood in two rows, the better archers toward the front and everyone else behind. The regular knights were clad in their usual armor, had a sword hanging from their sides, and a bow and quiver of arrows on their backs. The only thing missing was the spears that they usually held while on guard duty. Since there wasn't enough armor to clad all of the recruits, they were clad in mail shirts. Each one of them also had a sword hanging from their sides and a bow and quiver of arrows on their backs.

The Royal Guards were all situated down by the barricade. If the enemy were to break through their defenses, they wanted to have their best warriors waiting to greet them. Their purple and gold full-body armor was glinting in the light from the torches. Half of them had a bow and quiver of arrows to get some hits in should the enemy break through, but they were all ready to fight with sword and spear. Each one of them kept their kite shields close by. Hylian shields were also situated nearby for those who would be coming off the wall to fight hand-to-hand should the enemy break through.

Link was standing on top of the wall toward the middle looking toward the south. He had on his usual tattered green tunic, but this time he had done something he had never before done in his life. Underneath that tunic he was wearing a mail shirt. Link's Biggoron Sword and Mirror Shield were sitting on his back, and his bow and arrows, along with his other various weapons he figured he might need, were leaning against the wall.

Zelda and Navi were on the far ends of the wall. They thought it would be better to separate the three people in charge of Hyrule's defense so that one attack didn't take them all out. Navi was clad in her usual golden armor, but it shown all the brighter since she had polished it earlier. Her sword hung at her side, but unlike everyone else she had no bow or arrows. She was going to rely on her magic to attack the enemy forces.

Zelda was the same, except she had no sword hanging from her side. She had never even used a sword before, so to carry one with her would be useless. Zelda was just going to rely on her magical abilities which, since she was a Sage and from what she learned at the Temple of Light, far outclassed Navi's. Even with her abilities, Zelda was no fool. That is why she wasn't wearing one of her usual flowing gowns. As a princess Zelda did have her own special armor, but she wasn't wearing that either because she needed to be able to move freely. That is why she instead was wearing the same Sheikah outfit she wore when disguised as Sheik, except the only difference was she had a mail shirt on underneath.

Malon was feeling a little uncomfortable wearing her mail shirt. She had never worn anything so heavy before, but she knew it to be necessary. Just as she had promised Link, she was the only recruit not wearing a sword at her side. She did however, have two extra quivers of arrows situated nearby. To her left stood her father Talon, and to her right stood Ingo. The three of them weren't standing that far away from where Link stood.

As everyone stood there waiting and watching, the sounds of distant drums could be heard coming from the south. Before long the sight of distant torches moving toward them could be seen. Murmurs began spreading throughout the Hylian ranks. The enemy was still quite some distance away, but everyone was standing ready and prepared to fight nonetheless. As Link stood there staring, a hand was placed on his shoulder. Link turned to see King Hyrule standing there, clad in the same kind of armor as the Royal Guards.

"Well Link my boy," said the King before Link could speak, "it looks like the time has finally come."

"Your majesty, what are you doing here?" asked Link, surprised that the King was out here so close to the battlefield.

"I plan on fighting. There is nothing in this world that I would ask my people to do that I would not be prepared to do myself. If my people and my knights are about to fight and die for this kingdom, then it is only right that their king does so as well. This is my kingdom, and I am its king. I would much sooner give up that position then stand by and watch Hyrule be destroyed."

"I understand exactly how you feel. Let's just hope that the tides of fate are on our side."

"I see that Gerik has yet to return. He was a fool to go to the Gerudo."

"Maybe so, but we do need them. Just look at the enemy forces pouring out of the forest. He will be here; he promised."

"Gerik is probably dead. You know that the Gerudo hate anyone who intrudes within their territory, especially if they're male. Even if he's not dead, then he's most likely slaughtered all of the Gerudo to keep his own life. If that's so, then I doubt he would be returning in such disgrace."

"If there's anyone besides myself that could convince the Gerudo to come to our aid, it's Gerik. I know that he won't fail us, or betray us. Besides, the Gorons and Zoras have yet to show up either."

"Well they have promised to send us their aid as soon as possible. You have to remember that the size of the enemy force caught them off guard, as it did to us. They were all prepared to arrive tomorrow morning, but now they have to put a rush on things. They'll arrive in time to help us."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. I just hope that they arrive soon."

"That we all wish for. I'm going to head back down to the barricade now. I leave the defense of the wall in your hands Link. I also leave the safety of my daughter in your hands as well."

"Don't worry, I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. If you should need any extra soldiers, just yell down to me and I'll send some of the Royal Guard up to reinforce you. May the Goddesses have a Hyrule to look down upon in the morning."

With that the King headed over to the stairs and Link turned his attention back toward the south. The enemy was still pouring out of the forest hundreds at a time. The forward units were already nearing the halfway mark of Hyrule Field. It was the Lizalfos and Dinolfos in the lead. Their scaly, green skin glistened in the torch light, and slight hisses could be heard in-between the drum beats. Looking at them Link guessed that there was somewhere between two to three thousand of them, and they were going to be used just as Navi had said several days before, as cannon fodder.

All the way from the Lizalfos and Dinolfos down to the forest were nothing but torches and dark figures moving along like waves on the ocean. It looked as if there was no end to this army. As they neared Lon Lon Ranch, a sort of deep whistling noise broke through the air and the soldiers watched in terror as three flaming boulders flew through the air toward the ranch. The boulders smashed into the ranch, taking out one of its walls, the corral, and the silo. From the ruins flames started to consume the wreckage.

All the soldiers watched this in horror, but Malon, Talon, and Ingo were the most affected. They just stood there in shock as they watched their home go up in flames. The deep whistling noise cut through the air once again and this time four flaming boulders went into the ranch, completely destroying what was left. Everyone now watched as the ranch, which was nothing more than broken timber, burned to ashes.

Since they thrive within fire environments, the Lizalfos and Dinolfos just marched right through the flames and stopped where the edge of the ranch closest to the wall had once been. They then spread out to form ranks all along the length of Hyrule Field, all the other enemy forces forming ranks behind them. Behind the Lizalfos and Dinolfos stood the Arcanites, and just as Navi had described they made up 50 percent of the army. In fact, they were still pouring out of the forest.

After what Link guessed to be the first half of the Arcanites the catapults that had leveled Lon Lon Ranch appeared. The catapults were simple wooden weapons which had four large wheels to easily push them, but the fronts of them were protected by what looked like large metal shields. Link counted ten of them in all. Behind them the other half of the Arcanite division made its way out of the forest. Link figured that the Wizzrobes and Darknuts would be the last ones to come out along with Lord Arcana.

As Link looked out, he noticed that only the Lizalfos and Dinolfos were within their firing range. There was a large open space between them and the first battalions of Arcanites. The drums now stopped beating and Link looked up. There were no more troops pouring out of the forest, but the army reached as far back as the forest though. Everyone standing on the wall knew that this was it. Both sides were in position and ready to fight to the death.

The enemy drums now began a continuous beat. Link took this as a sign that the enemy was preparing to attack. He raised his right arm and signaled to the soldiers to draw their bows. In unison they all pulled their bows from their backs and readied an arrow to be fired. They all then, once again in unison, aimed their weapons down at the enemy. Link didn't draw his bow yet. He still had his arm up in the air, waiting for the right time. The drums now stopped and a low, deep horn was blown. Even before any of the Lizalfos and Dinolfos could move a muscle, Link brought his arm down in one swift motion.

"Fire at will!" he yelled as hundreds of arrows flew off the wall and pierced the enemy forces.

Despite the onslaught of arrows, the Lizalfos and Dinolfos charged forward. They didn't have any bows of their own or a way to scale the wall, but yet they charged into the onslaught anyway. Dozens of them fell to the ground dead every second, and still more fell down hissing in pain from wounds. While this slaughter was going on the catapults remained silent and the Arcanites stood their ground.

Link now picked up his own bow and readied an arrow. He didn't fire it right away though. He remembered Navi saying that they were creatures of darkness, so he had an idea. Link reached down into the reservoirs of magic within him that had been bestowed by the Great Fairies, and pumped a little of it into the arrow transforming it into a Light Arrow. He then released the arrow and let it fly.

The arrow flew straight through the air and pierced the chest of a Lizalfos. The Lizalfos was instantly vaporized by the arrow. Not only that, but several other Lizalfos that had been near the one Link shot were vaporized as well. Extremely pleased with the results, Link readied another arrow. As he fired another one, Link noticed that there were other bright lights taking out groups of Lizalfos. It was Zelda and Navi firing fireballs at them. While it was difficult for everyone shooting to see whether their shots were connecting or not, everyone knew that at least Link and Malon were nailing all of their shots.

* * *

"Lord Arcana sir," said an Arcanite as he bowed down before Lord Arcana, "our forward advance has been torn to shreds. It won't be long before they are all dead." 

"Good!" Lord Arcana replied with a smile. "They have served their purpose well. They were to test the enemy's resolve, and I am happy to see that the people of Hyrule are ready to fight to the bitter end. It's been a long time since my men have seen any real battle. This will certainly be one for the history books."

"Excuse me sir, but was it really such a wise decision to send two thousand of our troops to their deaths, especially when the enemy will suffer no casualties."

"You need to learn your place captain. I created them just for this purpose. They are my troops, and I can use them any way I see fit. Their mission was not to cause any damage, but to test the enemy's defenses and resolve, which they did with flying colors. Not only that, but the enemy has had to waste about two thousand of their arrows against them. That means there will be two thousand less to fire at you."

"I am sorry sir. I meant no disrespect."

"Of course you didn't. Now by the looks of things, they have two magic-wielders among them. Also, that archer in the middle there seems to be wielding Light Arrows. He must be the one who defeated my son. In a way I want him to live since he was the one who defeated my son, but I also want him to die because he could pose a threat if left unchecked. Since they're spread out along the wall, they must be the ones in charge of the defenses. Take them out and the rest will be putty in our hands."

"What are your orders sir?"

"Sound the charge. All Arcanites are to advance and slaughter the Hylian troops. Have the catapults begin a barrage, but don't aim them at the drawbridge just yet. If we try to advance through the drawbridge our troops will be slaughtered by their archers. When their numbers have decreased, then destroy the drawbridge and advance into the city."

"Your will be done sir."

"Oh, and Captain. If you question my methods again, it will be the last thing you ever do. Understood?"

* * *

As the last of the Lizalfos was struck dead, the Hylian troops took a breather. All the Lizalfos and Dinolfos were either dead or dying, and the agonizing hisses of those still dying were difficult to bear. In addition to the arrows sticking out of the dead and wounded, dozens of other arrows were either sticking out of the ground or lying there broken. There were quite a few burned patches of field where Zelda's and Navi's fireballs had slaughtered groups of enemy. 

As everyone stood there celebrating their victory, despite how small a victory it was, they were wondering what the enemy was up to. It was obvious to all of them that the Lizalfos and Dinolfos were simply sacrificed, but for what purpose they had no idea. They had their bows and an arrow held in their hands, but the bows weren't drawn. They were being held loosely at their side. They were all waiting for the enemy to make their move.

As they looked out off the wall, they saw ten bright fires being lit. It took all of them just a second to realize that it was the catapults, and that they were being readied to fire. The same low, deep horn that had blown before was sounded once again. Everyone on the wall quickly raised their weapons as thousands upon thousands of Arcanites let out a yell and charged forward. At the same time all ten catapults were fired, their flaming boulders heading straight for Hyrule's defenders.

The first reaction of everyone was to duck from the boulders. Two of the boulders struck the side of the wall, causing only minimal damage. The remaining eight boulders flew clear over the wall and collided into the city behind, crushing a few houses and starting several small fires. Since the Royal Guards weren't fighting at the moment, they rushed forward to stop the fires from spreading. As the soldiers on the wall rose from their ducking positions, they were greeted by a barrage of enemy arrows.

The arrows pierced the mail shirts of several of the soldiers killing them, their dead bodies either falling down on top of the wall or falling off of it. Several others received minor injuries, but it wasn't enough to keep them out of the fight. The Hylian soldiers now quickly drew their bows and returned with a barrage of their own. They knew that they had the advantage since they were on the higher ground, but given that they were seriously outnumbered they weren't sure how much of an advantage they still had.

Both sides continued sending volley after volley of arrows into each other. Link had resorted back to his regular arrows since Light Arrows wouldn't really have any special effects against the Arcanites, but whenever he noticed a close group of them he fired either a Fire Arrow or an Ice Arrow, whichever he felt like firing at that particular moment. Malon continued to score kill after kill while also avoiding the enemy's arrows. She had fired so many arrows already that she was on her third quiver of arrows. Talon and Ingo weren't faring as well as Malon, but they did have some kills that they were positive of.

Both Zelda and Navi continued their volley of fireballs, taking out groups of enemies at a time. The two of them noticed though, that many of the Arcanites seemed to be aiming their arrows at them. Navi simply dodged the arrows, but since Zelda had a nearly endless reservoir of magic at her disposal she just put up a magical barrier around her whenever she saw an arrow headed her way. Navi tried to remain indifferent when a fellow soldier next to her was killed, but Zelda couldn't help but silently weep whenever someone within her sight was hit and killed.

Hundreds of Arcanites were already dead, but there were so many that it didn't seem like they were making a dent. The Hylians had so far suffered only minor casualties, but a boulder that collided with the top of the wall changed that. Within one instant over a dozen soldiers were smashed and crushed underneath the giant flaming boulder. Several others were thrown from the wall from the impact of the hit as well as the partial collapse of part of the top of the wall. Those that fell backward into the city were able to recover quickly and head back up to the wall, but for those who fell into Hyrule Field they were slaughtered in seconds.

"Zelda, Navi!" Link yelled over the sounds of the raging battle. "Take out those catapults before they take us out!"

Zelda and Navi heard Link and agreed with his decision. They created their fireballs and fired them at the catapults, but the fireballs simply bounced off the metal shields harmlessly. Navi was going to have to try something else, but in the meantime she continued her assault on the enemy forces making sure not to give them a breather. Zelda didn't give up though. She decided to create an ice attack and fired it at the catapults. Unfortunately, that attack was deflected away as well.

As Zelda tried thinking of another type of attack, three more boulders collided with the wall, but luckily they only hit the side. Zelda turned around and looked at Hyrule Market, or what was left of it. Half of the city was already in ruins and flames. As Zelda turned around to face the battle again, she saw a boulder heading straight for her. Quickly summoning up her magic she created a wind attack and blew the boulder back towards the enemy, crushing at least a dozen Arcanites as it crashed into Hyrule Field.

Link had seen Zelda's and Navi's failed attempts at destroying the catapults and despaired a little. Link knew that his fire arrows would be deflected by the metal shields just as the magic attacks had been, and the catapults were too far away for any bombs to reach them. Unless they could come up with another plan of attack, they were just going to have to avoid the boulders being flung at them as best they could.

The arrows being fired by the Hylians were starting to decrease as their quivers were quickly emptying. As full quivers were being brought up to the wall as quickly as possible, those who had run out of arrows were now tossing the spears and bombs that were in the various barrels on the wall. As long as the spears hit there was a guaranteed kill since the spears easily pierced the Arcanite's chain mail. As for the bombs, by the time they flew off the wall and hit the ground they were ready to explode, so it gave any Arcanites near it no time to escape the blast unless they saw it flying down toward them.

Link watched as another boulder went slamming into the wall. He braced himself against the vibrations caused by the impact and then turned back to the battle. As he did so, an arrow flew right past his face, just narrowly missing him. He didn't escape unscathed though. The arrow slightly nicked him across the cheek. As he felt a little blood beginning to seep from the cut, Link fired an arrow at the first Arcanite he saw hoping that it had been him who shot the arrow. Link's arrow flew straight towards the guy and nailed him right between the eyes.

Malon had run out of arrows at the moment, so she was waiting for more. Not having the strength to toss a spear and not wanting to risk messing up with a bomb, Malon was currently ducking behind the wall. All around her though, soldiers were dropping dead. She knew that every arrow she fired had killed somebody, but to see people die right next to her, her own people even, was something that she never imagined.

As she waited for the arrows, she started looking around for her dad. Since the real battle had started, there was nothing but confusion on top of the wall. The two lines of soldiers that stood there at the beginning of the battle were now broken. This was due to not only Hylian casualties, but also soldiers who were dodging enemy arrows and the occasional boulders. Malon had no idea if her dad was still alive or not, and it worried her.

Malon turned her head and saw Link standing nearby. She watched him stand there with full confidence. He never flinched, and stood his ground as he fired arrow after arrow off of the wall. As far as Malon could see he was the only calm in all this confusion. Just then though, a nearby soldier was struck with an arrow and fell dead right in front of her. Malon jumped at first, but remembering how Link was acting she regained her composure. Not waiting for the replacement arrows anymore, Malon took the quiver off the guy who had just died and once again joined the battle.

Both sides were suffering heavy casualties, and an end was nowhere in sight. Nobody had any idea how much time had passed since the battle first began, but it already seemed like days to the defenders of Hyrule. As Link stared out into the endless sea of warriors charging toward them, he knew that they were sunk unless reinforcements came soon, and even then he wasn't sure if they could make it.


	15. Chapter 14

The battle had been raging for several hours now. Arcanite casualties were well over 4,000, but the Hylians weren't faring any better. The Hylian Army had been reduced to almost half strength. It was getting so bad on top of the wall that King Hyrule had to reinforce the troops up on the wall with half of the Royal Guards.

The wall itself had taken an extreme pounding from the catapults, and the western portion of the wall was on the verge of collapse. As a result Zelda told all the soldiers to move away from that part of the wall. She stayed though because she didn't want their right flank to be totally defenseless. She knew that she would be able to escape harm by using her magic if the wall did collapse, so she wasn't worried about staying there.

Not only were troops running low for the Hylians, but so were supplies. They had already used up all their bombs and spears. They still had half their supply of arrows left luckily, but with Hylian numbers decreasing it didn't really matter how many arrows they still had left. The one advantage to having less soldiers though was that empty quivers of arrows could be replaced with full quivers more quickly.

Much to the dismay of the Hylian defenders, all ten catapults were still in perfect working order, and their barrage had not ceased since the battle began. Nearly all of Hyrule Market was now lying in ruin, and fires were raging all over the city. The fires were too much for the Royal Guards to put out, so they just decided to keep the escape route to Hyrule Castle open and just let the rest of the city burn. It was heartbreaking for them to do this since most of them had homes in the city, but they knew they had no other choice.

Sweat was now dripping off of Navi's face. She had not let up her attack on the enemy forces since the battle began, but because of it she was beginning to run low on magic. Her breathing was becoming heavier, but she knew that she had to pour every last ounce of magic in her into her attacks. As a Guardian of the Triforce, she knew that she could do no less. She had to do everything in her power to save Hyrule, even if that meant her own death. Even if she did run out of magic she knew that she would still have strength enough to fight hand-to-hand, but that would only happen if the enemy broke through, and she was determined not to let that happen.

Zelda was the complete opposite. Since she had a nearly limitless reservoir of magic at her disposal, she was just shooting out spells like they were nothing. She was still full of energy, and if not for the fact that the wall underneath her feet could collapse at any moment she would've been jumping around as she fired her spells. Seeing how many of her fellow soldiers had already died, Zelda was now making her spells bigger and bigger so that they took out more enemy troops. The only problem with doing this was that it took longer to create the spells and it also left Zelda vulnerable, which is why she hadn't been doing it in the beginning.

Link, meanwhile, was busy trying to coordinate what was left of his army. Not only did he have to position them so that they could do the most damage, but since they were down to half strength he had to make sure that they were well protected. He had to do all this while firing his arrows at the enemy as well. Link had long given up on trying to figure out a way to destroy the catapults. He knew that the only way was if reinforcements came and they did it themselves.

Malon's strength was beginning to waver. So far she had fired more arrows than anyone else, and with the possible exceptions of Navi and Zelda, she also had the most kills. Though her face was soaked with sweat and her arms shook every time she drew her bow, Malon continued the fight. She felt for all of her fellow soldiers who had fallen, and was determined not to let any of their deaths be in vain. Not only that, but she was determined to get revenge for the destruction of Lon Lon Ranch.

Link fired two arrows into the enemy and quickly turned around to yell some orders to a group of soldiers. As he turned around, he saw five flaming boulders headed straight for the wall. One of them collided on top of the wall killing the group of soldiers Link had just given orders, three others collided into the already weakened wall, and the last was headed for Link himself. Link quickly jumped out of the way as the boulder hit the spot he had been just moments ago.

Zelda saw what happened and quickly ran over to help. As she did so she saw out of the corner of her eye two boulders headed her way. She quickly summoned a wind attack like she did last time and blew one of them back toward the enemy, but she wasn't quick enough to stop the second. It collided into the wall. The stone underneath Zelda's feet began to shake as the entire western portion of the wall began to collapse. The stone soon gave way and Zelda began to fall with the wall. It happened so suddenly that she couldn't avoid it.

Link saw this as he was getting up off the ground and quickly ran toward the collapsing wall, unhooking his Longshot from his belt as he did so. Holding the Longshot in his right hand Link dove off the wall after Zelda. Link outstretched his left hand toward Zelda as he fell after her. Zelda, seeing Link's outstretched hand, extended her hand toward him. Link managed to grab Zelda's hand right before she slammed into the rocky debris below and immediately fired his Longshot into the ruins of a nearby house pulling the two of them to safety. Link held Zelda tightly in his arms after the Longshot pulled them to safety and they dropped the small distance to the ground.

"Thank you," Zelda said when they had landed on the ground.

"Hey, no problem," Link replied with a grin. "I'm not about to let something happen to you. Besides, you would've done the same thing for me."

"In a heartbeat."

Link and Zelda were still locked in an embrace, but neither of them noticed. They were currently staring into each other's eyes. Neither of them was saying a word, and the battle around them seemed to disappear. They were finally broken out of their reverie by the sounds of over a dozen explosions and subsequent cheers coming from the top of the wall. Link and Zelda quickly broke their embrace and ran up to the top of the wall to see what all the commotion was, but they already knew the answer.

* * *

Lord Arcana had been watching the battle intently since it began. His face was contorted into a half smile half scowl. The Hylian's defenses were crumbling and their soldiers were decreasing, but Lord Arcana had already lost more men than he had thought he would. He had to admit that the Hylians were putting up a much stronger resistance than he had thought they would. Despite his own setbacks, he was extremely glad to see the Hylians fighting so hard. It would only make his own victory that much sweeter, and he was still confident that his army would emerge victorious. 

The sound of a huge crash and of falling rocks caught his attention and he turned to see the western portion of the wall collapse and a lone figure falling among the debris. The smile that had been on his face after seeing this was quickly replaced with a scowl though at seeing the Arcanite Captain running toward him.

"Lord Arcana sir," the Arcanite said, "we've breached the wall! Not only that, but we've killed one of the magic wielders."

"Look again Captain," replied Lord Arcana in a harsh tone. "The Hylian wielding the Light Arrows has just jumped off the wall to save her."

"Still, we've broken through their defenses and their right flank is completely exposed. Shall I move our army through the breach and invade the city?"

"And how exactly do you expect to get our army across the river and then over the debris to invade the city? Their numbers may be smaller, but you'd still be slaughtered if you tried to do that. You are right about one thing though, for a change. The time has come to invade the city and wipe out what's left of them. Begin aiming the catapults at the drawbridge. Once the way is clear, begin the final assault."

Before the Arcanite could reply, several explosions erupted among the main Arcanite army. Bodies flew all over the place, and two catapults were destroyed as a result of the explosions. As everyone tried to figure out what had just happened, these silvery, blue objects shot through the smoke of the explosions and cut down all who got in the way. All along the top of the wall cheers and screams of joy could be heard, and when the smoke had cleared Lord Arcana's army could see why. The Gorons and Zoras had finally arrived.

The Gorons tossed the last of the bombs they had brought and then charged head first into the Arcanites. The Zoras, meanwhile, were split into two groups. Half the Zora army was in the river, and the other half was on land. The Zoras in the river would jump out and fire their fins at the Arcanites like razor sharp boomerangs. The rest of the Zoras just charged into the Arcanites right after the Gorons and they used their fins as swords.

"They've finally arrived," Lord Arcana declared. "I had hoped to finish this before they got involved, but whatever. They still have no chance of victory."

"What are your orders sir?" asked the Arcanite Captain.

"Same as before. Take down the drawbridge and begin the final assault. As for the Gorons and Zoras though, only have your men engage the Zoras. Your swords aren't strong enough to pierce their the Gorons skin. I've prepared for just such an occasion. The Wizzrobes will take care of the Gorons. Now get going!"

The Arcanite Captain quickly bowed to Lord Arcana and ran off to give the orders. As he was running Lord Arcana turned to the nearby Wizzrobes and nodded. The Wizzrobes nodded back and in the blink of an eye they waved their wands in the air and disappeared. Lord Arcana then began laughing hysterically. His plan was turning out better than he could have ever hoped for.

* * *

When Link and Zelda finally made it on top of the wall they peered over the top and saw hundreds of Gorons and Zoras charging into the Arcanite ranks. A big smile crept across both their faces. The cheers of the Hylian soldiers were still ringing out across the battlefield, and it didn't die down until the Arcanites continued their assault upon the wall. Now with a renewed spirit and hope in all their hearts, the Hylians drew their bows and continued the fight. 

As the barrage of arrows and magic attacks from Navi and Zelda flew off the wall into the charging Arcanites, the Gorons and Zoras continued their charge. The Goron's immense strength was more than enough to punch right through the Arcanites chain mail, and they could easily break the Arcanites in half. The Arcanites tried to defend themselves, but every attempt to kill the Gorons resulted in a broken sword.

Against the Zoras they were having better luck, but due to the Zora's swiftness and nimbleness, it was still hard to land a blow. Fighting the Zoras was just like fighting the Hylians; all they had to do was get by the Zoras defense and then cut them down. The Zoras had no armor on, but their fins were strong enough to block the Arcanite's swords. It was like a sword fight between the Arcanites and Zoras, and whomever was the better fighter lived while the other was cut down.

The Arcanites attempts to defend against the Zora and Goron reinforcements were also being hampered by the Zoras jumping out of the river. The Arcanites couldn't kill them because of the speed in which they jumped out of the water and went back down under it, but the Zoras were sure making an impression by cutting down dozens of Arcanites at a time by firing their fins at them.

All this time the eight remaining catapults had been silent for the first time since the battle began. The Gorons and Zoras didn't notice because they were busy fighting hand to hand, but all those on top of the wall could see the catapults being turned. Link noticed that they were all being turned to face one point, but he couldn't figure out what that was. Then it occurred to him. He took a look over toward the drawbridge and then back toward the catapults. Link's eyes grew wide when he saw eight flames lite up, and then fired into the air.

"Get away from the drawbridge!" yelled Link as the flaming boulders flew toward them. "Get away from there now!"

The soldiers barely had any time to react before the boulders hit. Two of the boulders crashed directly on top of the wall, taking out at least a dozen soldiers. One hit the area right above the drawbridge, and the remaining five hit the drawbridge head on. The first of the five to hit slammed into the middle of the drawbridge snapping it in half. Another one hit the area connected to one of the chains that held the drawbridge, causing it to fall slightly. The other three completely demolished the rest of it, sending the broken timbers down upon several Zora warriors that were in the river killing them.

The Arcanites let out a cheer at seeing the destruction of the drawbridge, but despaired at seeing the portcullis. The portcullis was something that they had never thought of, and as a result they didn't know what to do. The operators of the catapults had an idea though. They decided to hit it with boulder after boulder until it was destroyed, or the wall surrounding it collapse; whichever came first.

As the catapults readied another barrage, the sky above finally opened up. Lightning streaked across the night sky and the following thunder shook the very earth. Big, heavy droplets of rain began to fall nonstop. It was a torrential downpour unlike any the inhabitants of Hyrule had ever seen. To the warriors fighting out in the battlefield it was like fighting at the bottom of a waterfall.

Link reorganized the remaining soldiers on the wall once again, this time making sure that they were nowhere near where the drawbridge had been. He knew that they were going to try and break through the portcullis with their remaining catapults, and he wasn't about to let what happened before occur again. After reorganizing the soldiers he peered out over the wall again. The heavy rain was making it hard to see the battle below, but with the constant flashes of lightning Link and the other soldiers could see who was the enemy and who were their allies.

So far the reinforcements were making much headway. Only about a dozen or so Zoras had been killed, and the Gorons had yet to lose one warrior. Because of this the Arcanites were slowly giving up ground to them. They hoped to draw the Gorons and Zoras in and then surround and slaughter them, but with the constant barrage of arrows flying off the wall it was making it difficult for the Arcanites.

The catapults released their flaming boulders once again. The flames on the boulders was able to cut through the rain, and as a result the Hylians were prepared for the impact. Only one of the boulders actually hit the portcullis, denting it slightly. Three flew over the wall into the ruins of Hyrule Market, and the other four collided into the rapidly crumbling wall.

While the other soldiers were having some difficulty finding the enemy, Navi and Zelda were unaffected by the rain. The two of them were able to use their magic to see clearly through the downpour. While Zelda was still firing spell after spell into the enemy ranks, Navi was getting closer and closer to running out of magic. Her body needed rest, but she wasn't giving it any. She wasn't showing any signs of fatigue despite her heavy breathing. She knew she couldn't keep it up much longer, but she was going to fight to the bitter end even if it meant tapping into her own life energy to fuel her magical spells. Despite her love for Gerik, her first duty was to Hyrule and if that meant sacrificing her life she would do it bravely.

The Gorons continued their rampage through the Arcanites. They were taking the Arcanites down dozens at a time, and no matter what the Arcanites did the Gorons remained unaffected. A very low whistle could be heard through the thunder and all the Arcanites backed off from the Gorons. The Gorons, confused by this, just looked around in puzzlement. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary though, they once again continued their attack.

As the Gorons marched forward, hundreds of Wizzrobes appeared out of thin air. As soon as they materialized they raised their wands and fired various magical spells towards not only the Gorons, but the Zoras as well. Most of the spells just bounced harmlessly off the Gorons, so the Gorons just charged forward and managed to kill several Wizzrobes before they could disappear again. The other Wizzrobes knew exactly what to do with the Gorons and disappeared just as suddenly as they had appeared.

When the Wizzrobes reappeared again, this time in different locations, they all fired the same spell at the Gorons. The spell was blueish in color, and upon hitting the Gorons it immediately froze them solid in a huge piece of ice. The Goron advance was stopped dead in its tracks as a little more than three-fourths of them were now nothing more than giant popsicles out in the battlefield. The remaining Gorons now realized the danger that the Wizzrobes posed and made sure to avoid their attacks as best they could.

The Hylian soldiers witnessed with horror what the Wizzrobes were capable of and decided to focus all their attacks on them. Since the Arcanites were too busy fending off the Gorons and Zoras, they hadn't had an opportunity to fire arrows back at the soldiers on the wall, so the soldiers didn't have to worry about changing targets. The Wizzrobes were also easier targets than the Arcanites since they were wearing either red or blue robes compared to the black outfits of the Arcanites.

The Wizzrobes now resorted to hit-and-run tactics, disappearing and then reappearing someplace else to attack, since the Hylians were now slaughtering them. This tactic, coupled with the heavy rain, made it nearly impossible for the Hylians, and even Link and Malon, to get a clear shot at the Wizzrobes anymore. Most of their shots hit nothing but air, so unless they had a clear shot they resorted back to picking off the Arcanites.

With the Hylians no longer able to kill the Wizzrobes, the task now fell upon the Zoras in the river. They were able to see clearly through the rain, and with the speed their fins traveled through the air it rendered the Wizzrobes hit-and-run tactic useless. The Wizzrobes were once again being slaughtered. What made it worse was the fact that the Wizzrobes couldn't retaliate against the Zoras in the river. The Zoras were in and out of the water before any spell could reach them. All the Wizzrobes could do was avoid their attacks as best they could while freezing the Goron warriors and burning the Zora warriors on land.

Malon was glad to see that the tide had finally turned in their favor. She had been worried that the Gorons and Zoras would become slaughtered when the Wizzrobes began their attack, but now that the Wizzrobes were in turn being slaughtered all worry left her. The Arcanites were being torn apart by the Gorons, and except for the boulders the remaining soldiers on the wall didn't have anything to worry about; they could just concentrate on shooting the enemy. While the rain was hampering their own progress, it was also helping. It cooled things down a bit for Malon and the others, and it also reduced visibility for the enemy as well.

Malon emptied another quiver and then bent down to pick up another one. As she stood back up she readied an arrow, but the arrow went limp when she looked out over the wall. Off in the distance, past all the soldiers and catapults near the entrance to the Kokiri Forest, a large glowing ball was being formed. It was growing larger by the second, and it's deep blue color cut through the darkness and rain like a knife.

"Link!" she yelled. "Over there, look!"

"What the hell?" Link replied when he saw the glowing ball. "Oh crap!"

Before Link could get out another word Lord Arcana tossed with all his might the magical ball that he had created. It was headed straight toward the wall, and it flew high enough off the ground so that nothing could get in its way. Its speed was incredible for something of that size, and for all who saw it, including the enemy, they just stopped and stared. The soldiers on the wall quickly dove for cover as the glowing ball neared the wall, but it never hit. Instead, the ball flew straight into the river freezing the entire thing solid, with the Zoras that were in the river trapped within.

The Hylians, remaining Zoras, and Gorons were all shocked by these turn of events. All the Zoras in the river were trapped, unable to help out anymore, and as a result the Wizzrobes were free to continue their slaughter without worry, just as Lord Arcana had intended. For the Zoras trapped in the river, those completely frozen underwater were better off than those who were only half frozen. For the Zoras that had half their bodies, or even a part of their bodies, sticking out of the ice the Arcanites just charged forward and killed them without mercy.

The Gorons were on their own once again. Without the river Zoras to provide protection, the Gorons now had to watch their backs again for the Wizzrobes. Just like the enemy kept changing strategies though, so did the Gorons. Many of the Gorons were now rolling up into balls and rolling around the battlefield. This not only made it easier to dodge the Wizzrobes attacks, but the Gorons were now taking out enemies groups at a time by just running them down with their massive bodies.

Unfortunately for the Gorons though, this tactic was short-lived. The Wizzrobes easily found a way to counter this by stealing the idea from Zelda. Whenever a Goron was rolling toward them, the Wizzrobes used their wands to create a massive wind attack that sent the Gorons flying into the air, the same tactic Zelda used to fling the boulders back at the enemy. Not only were the Gorons being flung back preventing them from attacking, but the Wizzrobes were flinging them at the wall, turning them into makeshift boulders.

One of the Gorons was actually flung into the portcullis by this, denting it even more than it already was. While the Goron tried to recover, a real boulder slammed into him, pinning him between the boulder and portcullis. This not only weakened the portcullis more, but killed the Goron as well. The tide of the battle had once again changed, and this time it was against Hyrule.

The Gorons abandoned their rolling attacks since it was doing more harm than good, and decided to try and fight their way toward the catapults. If they could destroy the catapults, then the enemy wouldn't be able to invade the city. By now they had already given up all hope of coming out of this battle alive. If all they could do now was give Hyrule the chance to survive, then they would be happy. The Wizzrobes made their progress slow, but they were making their way to the catapults.

The operators of the catapults grew worried by this fact. If they didn't hurry, then the Gorons might actually reach them and destroy the catapults. As a result the catapults were now being fired twice as fast, and that was bad for the soldiers on the wall. Because the catapults were being fired faster, most of them weren't being aimed properly and were slamming into the wall all over the place as well as the ruins of Hyrule Market. Even though most weren't being aimed properly, a lot more boulders were slamming into the portcullis.

The portcullis was now dented beyond repair. Some of its metal rungs had even broken and were now sticking out. The stone encasing the top of the portcullis was cracking and breaking under the stress of the repeated boulder hits. It only took several more boulder hits to smash the portcullis out of its stone encasement. For the Hylian soldiers, the sound of the stone breaking and the metal portcullis bouncing off the ground seemed to resonate forever. The way was now clear for the final assault.

The destruction of the portcullis was a godsend to the Arcanites. Without hesitating for a second, hundreds of Arcanites charged forward toward the wall. With a smile on their faces and their swords held at the ready, they crossed over the frozen river and headed through the entrance. While they were doing this dozens of Arcanites drew their bows and started firing arrows at the soldiers on the wall to prevent them from attacking the Arcanites crossing the river.

The first thing the Arcanites saw upon entering Hyrule Market were several small objects racing toward them along the ground. As the objects approached they began to glow, and the Arcanites realized that they had walked into a trap. King Hyrule and the Royal Guards stationed at the barricade had been ready ever since the portcullis had been destroyed, and upon seeing the first group of Arcanites unleashed several dozen bombchus. The bombchus exploded filling the entranceway with smoke, debris, and screams of pain.

With their supply of bombchus used up, the Royal Guards drew their bows and fired arrow after arrow into the smoke filled entranceway. They couldn't see through the thick smoke, so they had no idea if they were scoring any hits or not, but the enemy couldn't see through the smoke to dodge the arrows either. Screams escaping the smoke filled entranceway told the Royal Guards that at least some of their arrows were connecting.

The smoke began dissipating as the Royal Guards began to run out of arrows. When they were finally out of arrows, King Hyrule drew his sword from its sheath. The Royal Guards followed suit and raised both sword and shield as hundreds of Arcanites now ran over the dead bodies of their comrades and charged the barricade. Sword clashed against sword as the hand-to-hand combat between the Hylians and Arcanites finally began.

Malon, vowing to keep her promise to Link and her father, decided to stay on the wall as long she had a supply of arrows. The minute she ran out she was going to head to the castle just as she promised. As Malon fired another arrow killing a Wizzrobe that wasn't paying attention, she herself was shot with an arrow. It hit her directly in the chest, but luckily it didn't have enough force to pierce her chain mail. It did, however, have enough force to push her backward and over the wall.

She fell inside the wall, but also within the entranceway where hundreds of Arcanites were now pouring through. She landed hard on her back, and the wind was knocked out of her. At first the Arcanites thought her to be dead, but when they saw her open her eyes and scream out in pain they knew otherwise and decided to finish the job. One of the Arcanites stopped in front of her and then brought his sword up ready to strike her down.

Ingo, meanwhile, had witnessed Malon's fall off the wall and also saw how the Arcanites were about to kill her. He quickly dropped his bow and drew his sword. Then he jumped off the wall directly into the Arcanites. He knocked several of them to the ground and killed one of them because of his fall. He managed to stay on his feet and then quickly blocked the strike meant to kill Malon. The Arcanite, caught off guard by this move, was stunned and Ingo quickly slew him. Ingo then helped Malon off the ground as fast as he could considering more Arcanites were charging straight at them.

Ingo yelled for Malon to get away while he stood there enticing the Arcanites to attack him. They came at him groups at a time. Ingo was mostly fighting defensively, parrying every sword that was thrust at him. He killed only when he had an opening, for he knew that if he tried to kill all of them he would be too easily killed himself. Slowly he was making his way back toward the barricade, where all fighting had so far ceased. Ingo was right now stopping all the Arcanites from advancing.

The Arcanites couldn't get past, so one of them came up with an idea. He deliberately allowed himself to get attacked by Ingo, but made sure that it wasn't a killing blow. The Arcanite than played possum, making Ingo think he was dead. As soon as Ingo's attention was distracted, the Arcanite sprung up from the ground and stabbed Ingo before he could react. Ingo's body went limp, and Malon watched as her savior fell to the ground dead, his blood on the sword of his killer.

Rage filled Malon and she quickly rushed forward and grabbed Ingo's sword from the ground. She then chopped off the head of the Arcanite who had killed Ingo. She then stood there, frozen. She couldn't believe what she had just done. She dropped the sword, and then stared at the now charging Arcanites. Yells from King Hyrule and the Royal Guards behind her brought her back to her senses and she quickly turned tail and ran to the safety of the barricade. After jumping over the barricade to safety, she silently thanked Ingo for saving her life and then headed for Hyrule Castle.

With Ingo dead the Arcanites once again charged the barricade. Though the barricade helped prevent the king and Royal Guards from being overwhelmed and allowing them to score kill after kill, there were just too many of them. The barricade was soon overrun and the fighting spilled out into the fire engulfed city behind.

Now that the wall had been breached, there was no longer any reason for the soldiers to stay on the wall. They all drew their swords, Link and Navi included, and ran down to fight alongside their king. Zelda alone remained on the wall. She couldn't fight hand-to-hand, so firing magical attacks off the wall was all she could do. If she could lessen the amount of enemy soldiers pouring through the entrance, the better off everyone else would be.

With half their forces trapped or dead within the frozen river, and another 1/4 lying dead upon Hyrule Field, the Zoras headed into the ruins of Hyrule Market to fight alongside the Hylians. They knew that they had a better chance of survival fighting within the city then out on the open battlefield with their reduced numbers. It also helped bolster the defense of the city since so many Hylians were already dead as well.

The Gorons went half and half. Though the Wizzrobes had capitalized on an extreme weakness of the Gorons, they were still at a little more than half strength. Those that wished to go and fight within the city helped escort the Zoras inside with minimal casualties while the rest stayed upon Hyrule Field taking out as many enemies as they could. The catapults had finally stopped firing for good since they didn't want to run the risk of killing their own troops within the city, so the Gorons didn't have to worry about destroying them anymore.

As Link laid out another Arcanite upon the already bloody streets of Hyrule Market, he realized that this was it. No matter how many he, or anyone else, killed, hundreds more kept coming to take their place. Within the city they were already outnumbered a hundred to one, and for the Gorons still out in the field the odds were worse. The rain by now had lessened to a little more than a drizzle, making visibility better for everyone, but that was the only good news that Link could report at the moment. Link was about to signal the retreat knowing that they had already lost this battle, but several high pitched horns sounded from somewhere out in Hyrule Field.

"Link, get up here now!" Zelda yelled with what sounded like joy in her voice. "You're never going to believe it!"


	16. Chapter 15

Gerik stood at the entrance to the Gerudo Valley, water dripping down from his now rain soaked hair. He stood there silent, and unmoving. He was just staring out at the total carnage that was Hyrule Field. The smell of burning timber and corpses, as well as the smell of blood, was thick in the air. The constant flashes of lightening only served to reveal an even bigger disaster than could be seen in the darkness, and the subsequent thunder wasn't nearly loud enough to drone out the sounds of battle, and death. Gerik had known that this war would be terrible, but he never expected it to be like this.

Behind Gerik, all sitting on horseback and staring out at the same bloodbath Gerik was, were 800 Gerudo warriors. The reddish armor they wore gleamed in the light of the torches they brought and cast a pale glow in the darkness of the night. They all had a sword hanging from their sides, but half of them were also wielding a bow and still others were holding spears. Though the Gerudo all sat there expressionless, inside they were filled with disgust and shock. At just one glance each and every Gerudo warrior knew that they had made the right decision to come to Hyrule's aid.

Lord Arcana just stood there staring at the Gerudo Army situated toward the West. In all of his scenarios he never guessed that the Gerudo would come to Hyrule's aid. This was a totally unexpected surprise, and while most would consider it bad Lord Arcana considered it a joyous surprise. Lord Arcana had all intentions of destroying the Gerudo after finishing with Hyrule, but now that they had come to the battle he could destroy them all now. He could wipe out all resistance within Hyrule in just one fell swoop. Things were going better than he could have ever imagined.

The thousands of Arcanites still awaiting their chance to enter Hyrule Market saw the Gerudo Army and readied themselves. They formed several lines facing the Gerudos and stood ready for their charge. The Wizzrobes meanwhile continued to harass the several Gorons that had decided to remain out in the field so they did not disrupt the Arcanite lines. With nearly all the Gorons still out in Hyrule Field frozen though, the Gorons were more concerned with saving their own lives than attacking the enemy.

Gerik watched as the Arcanites formed their ranks, but wasn't concerned with them. He instead turned his attention toward the South, where he knew the man responsible for all this death and destruction, Lord Arcana, stood waiting. It was Lord Arcana that Gerik wanted, and he would kill any who got between them. As he was looking for the figure of Lord Arcana, another flash of lightening revealed out of the corner of his eyes two silhouettes standing on top of the now decrepit wall. Though he was too far away to truly know who they were, somehow he knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Link and Zelda standing there. He was glad that they were still alive, but he wondered why Navi wasn't up there as well.

Pushing all negative thoughts about Navi's condition out of his head, Gerik turned his attention back toward Hyrule Field and drew both of his swords. The Gerudos not wielding a bow or spear followed suit and drew their swords. Then, without moving or turning around, Gerik raised his right arm into the air. The same high pitched horns from before sounded again. The time to raze the enemy siege was at hand.

"Charge!" Gerik yelled so loud that even Link and Zelda could hear it on top of the wall.

The horns stopped and were replaced by the thundering stampede of the Gerudos' horses. They charged straight for the Arcanite lines. As they charged the mounted archers fired arrow after arrow while those wielding spears tossed them into the waiting enemy. Despite the onslaught and the approaching charge of horses, the Arcanites held their lines. Arcanite archers formed ranks behind the others and returned fire back to the Gerudos, aiming for both Gerudo and horse.

Gerudo after Gerudo fell to the barrage of enemy arrows, but still they charged on without a second thought. As the Gerudo got ever closer to the Arcanite ranks, the front line broke and the Arcanites scattered to the back. The next row of Arcanites rushed forward with pikes in their hands and pointed them toward the approaching Gerudos. The rows of Arcanites behind them pulled out pikes from seemingly thin air as well and pointed them forward. It had been a trap, and the Gerudos fell for it. The Arcanites had kept the pikes hidden until the last moment, when they knew the Gerudo couldn't stop their advance.

Unable to stop their charge, the Gerudo just bit down and continued onward. They readied their swords and charged into the waiting Arcanites at full speed. Both horse and Gerudo fell to the deadly pikes, but the front line of the Arcanite ranks was completely decimated by the charge. For the Gerudo who got through they both trampled and slashed at the Arcanites in the rear rows. The mounted archers didn't fully charge with the others, but stopped before the Arcanite ranks and fired into the enemy trying to reduce their numbers as much as possible. Both sides suffered heavy losses.

About one quarter of the Gerudo forces were now dead, and dozens more were wounded. Of those surviving about half were now reduced to fighting on foot with the loss of their horses. The surviving Arcanites now regrouped, drew their swords and engaged the Gerudos. The Wizzrobes, now basically bored with taunting the few Gorons left, turned their attention to the Gerudo as well. They aimed for those Gerudo still on horseback, which for the most part consisted of the mounted archers.

While the Gerudo and Arcanites fought to the death, Gerik was making his way toward Lord Arcana. If he could stop Lord Arcana here and now then maybe this war would stop without any further loss of life. As he approached the entrance to the Kokiri Forest he could see several thousand heavily armed and armored troops. They just stood there motionless, staring toward Hyrule Market, their blue armor making them nearly invisible in the darkness of the night. Gerik guessed that these guys were the Darknuts that Navi had told them about, the most elite soldiers of Lord Arcana's army.

Standing toward the middle of the Darknuts was a man who towered above them all. Gerik knew at once that it was Lord Arcana. Though unable to see any details at the distance he was at, Gerik was at least finally laying eyes on Lord Arcana. Without hesitation Gerik tightened his grip on his swords and charged forward at full speed. Gerik's approach didn't go unnoticed though, and several Darknuts moved forward to intercept him. The movement of his Darknuts intrigued Lord Arcana, so he turned to watch what was happening.

The Darknuts took several steps toward Gerik and then stopped. They stood shoulder to shoulder and formed a line to block Gerik's advance. Remembering what Navi had told him about these guys, Gerik stopped his charge. He wasn't going to be foolish enough to take on more than one of these guys at a time, at least not until he found out how powerful they truly were. Their faces were completely covered by their helms, so Gerik was unable to read any sort of expression from them. The Darknuts just stood there staring at Gerik, and Gerik returned their icy gaze with one of his own as he tightened his grip on his swords.

Finally, one of the Darknuts stepped forward. As he stepped forward he threw away the shield that he had been holding and drew one of the most vicious looking swords Gerik had ever seen. The blade was easily three-fourths the size of the Darknut, and was serrated in several places. The blade gleamed in the darkness, and Gerik could tell that it was extremely sharp. Gripped in his right hand, the Darknut swung the blade in the air a few times before grabbing hold of it with both hands and standing in a defensive stance. Gerik had been wondering how cocky this guy was at throwing his shield away, but after seeing the Darknut swing that big and heavy blade around with just one hand he knew that there was nothing cocky about this guy.

Gerik didn't have to wait long for the Darknut to make his move. Sword still gripped in both hands, the Darknut took off in a sprint straight for Gerik. Despite wearing all that heavy armor, the Darknut ran as if he wasn't wearing any armor at all. Gerik was caught off guard by the speed with which the Darknut could move and was barely able to raise his swords to defend himself. Gerik was pushed back by the impact the Darknut's attack, and before the Darknut could follow through with another strike Gerik did a few back flips to put some distance between themselves.

Gerik came out of the back flips with both swords held ready. He didn't think it was physically possible for someone to move that fast wearing all that heavy armor. Without all that armor, Gerik believed that the Darknut would be able to run as fast as, or maybe even faster, than himself. Giving Gerik only a second to catch his breath, the Darknut charged again. Gerik was ready this time as he braced his feet into the ground and readied his swords. Upon reaching Gerik the Darknut swung down and Gerik blocked. He was able to prevent the Darknut from bringing his sword down any closer to himself, but he couldn't push him back. It was like the Darknut was pure strength.

Pushing the Darknut's sword to the side, Gerik quickly sidestepped out of the way. Gerik immediately turned so that he could strike the Darknut in his side, but upon turning he saw the Darknut's sword heading straight for him again. He had barely enough time to raise his own sword to block the attack, and as a result Gerik was tossed several feet away by the impact. Quickly getting up off the ground, Gerik was amazed by the speed with which the Darknut wielded his sword. For a sword that size, the speed was incredible. As far as Gerik was concerned, there shouldn't have been a man alive that could wield a sword that big as fast as the Darknut was.

The Darknut charged him again and Gerik readied himself. The Darknut swung his blade repeatedly, forcing Gerik to stay on the defensive. Gerik had to use both swords to prevent himself from being hit by the repeated attacks. Quickly raising his sword in the air, the Darknut now brought it down with full strength. Gerik formed a V with his swords and blocked the attack. The Darknut held his blade there though, trying to force Gerik to his knees. Gerik was trying his hardest to stop him, but slowly the Darknut's sword was getting closer to Gerik's head.

Summoning all the strength in his body, Gerik pushed the Darknut's sword all the way back and immediately went on the offensive before the Darknut could react. Gerik slashed at the Darknut repeatedly, aiming for both chest and head. As his momentum began to decrease, Gerik jumped and drop kicked the Darknut. The Darknut didn't fall to the ground, but he did stagger backward from the blow. As Gerik caught his breath he looked to see what damage he had done. He was aghast when he saw that the Darknut's armor didn't even have a scratch on it.

The Darknut just laughed as he rushed forward with his sword pointed straight ahead of him. Gerik jumped out of the way and rolled to his feet as quickly as he could. He then turned around only to be met with the hilt of the Darknut's sword in his head. Gerik didn't fall, but he was holding his head as he staggered backward. The Darknut now tried a horizontal swing and Gerik barely managed to block with the sword in his right hand. Unfortunately, the impact of the hit caused Gerik's sword to break sending small metal shards all over the place, and Gerik fell flat on his back. The Darknut then stood over him with his sword held high ready to finish Gerik off.

"Gerik, catch!" he heard Link's voice yell.

As Gerik tried to figure out where the voice had come from, a large object slammed into the ground nearby. Not even bothering to see what it was, Gerik rolled toward it and grabbed a hold of it as the Darknut brought his sword down. When Gerik stood up he looked to see what the object in his hands was. It was the Megaton Hammer. Gerik didn't realize it, but during his fight he had been pushed back almost to the wall. He looked up to see Link standing on top of the wall and gave a nod.

Turning back to the Darknut, Gerik quickly rushed toward him with the Megaton Hammer held tightly in both hands while the Darknut was lifting his sword out of the ground. Gerik quickly swung the hammer, but the Darknut just barely got his sword out of the ground in time to block. Unfortunately for the Darknut, the impact sent the sword flying out of his hands and the Darknut straight to the ground. With a smile Gerik raised the Megaton Hammer into the air and brought it down with all his might. The Darknut's armor was crushed from the impact, and so was his chest. With the Darknut now dead, Gerik headed back toward Lord Arcana.

Having thrown Gerik the Megaton Hammer and seeing him kill the Darknut, Link now turned to look at the fighting still going on within Hyrule Market. Even though there were no longer any more Arcanites flooding into the city since they were occupied with the Gerudo, Hyrule Market was still swamped with Arcanites. They easily outnumbered the combined forces of the Hylians, Zoras, and Gorons by a margin of at least ten to one. Placing his hand on Zelda's shoulder and giving her a weak smile, Link readied his sword and shield and headed back down to the battle.

Things weren't looking that much better for the Gerudo. All of the Gorons that stayed behind in Hyrule Field were now all frozen, leaving the Gerudo to fend for themselves against the full might of the Arcanites and Wizzrobes. Fighting hand to hand with the Arcanites wasn't that bad. The Gerudo were far better warriors. The problem was the Wizzrobes and their ability to disappear and reappear anyway on the battlefield. They took out Gerudo after Gerudo, and in some cases several at a time, while the Gerudo couldn't even land a single blow on them. Luckily for the Gerudo, they had Zelda helping them out from on top of the wall.

The mounted Archers were basically the only Gerudo's still on horseback, and the task of taking out the Wizzrobes fell on their shoulders. The other Gerudo by this time had either already lost their horse or dismounted to spare their horse's life. The job of killing the Wizzrobes fell upon the mounted archers since they had the best chances of anyone, even though their chances were still slim, of actually killing the Wizzrobes. The problem was that by the time the archers fired their arrows the Wizzrobes had already fired their magic attack and disappeared. It was only by chance that a Wizzrobe would appear within an archer's line of sight that they could quickly fire off a shot and kill them.

The battle within Hyrule Market was beginning to get desperate. The fighting had now spilled out into every corner of the devastated city. Some of the combatants were actually fighting right next to one of the many raging fires within the city, the extreme heat coming from them causing the soldiers on all sides to suffer, and still others had now become cut off from everyone else as the fires surrounded and eventually engulfed them. Within the city, all anyone knew about the storm still overhead was that it was drizzling. The lightening was eclipsed by the raging fires, and the thunder was masked by the now all to common sounds of swords clashing, fire crackling, and wails of agony and death.

With his remaining sword in one hand and the Megaton Hammer in the other, Gerik had almost reached Lord Arcana again. He knew that there would be several Darknuts there waiting for him, but now that he knew how to kill them there shouldn't be any problem, unless they all attacked him at once. He was now glad that Navi had yelled at him several days before when he so easily brushed off the Darknuts as wusses. As he got closer he saw a group of five Darknuts standing there with swords drawn and ready to fight. Gerik stopped several feet away from them and got into a defensive stance.

"Don't touch him!" yelled Lord Arcana from behind the Darknuts. "This warrior is very skilled to have killed one of my Darknuts. He doesn't deserve just any death, but an honorable death by my hands."

"Phfff, you're the one who's going to die today Lord Arcana," replied Gerik as the Darknuts stepped out of the way. "You're going to pay for all the death you've caused."

"Such cockiness. Reminds me a lot about my son."

"How dare you compare me to that bastard!"

Gerik drops the Megaton Hammer knowing that it will only slow him down in this battle, and rushes forward with his sword held out in front of him. He was running at full speed, and Lord Arcana had yet to draw his sword yet. Just as Gerik was about to reach him though, Lord Arcana held out his hand and shot a huge fireball at Gerik. Gerik quickly leapt out of the way, but the fireball managed to singe his left leg. Gerik rolled when he hit the ground so he could quickly get up, but when he turned around he saw Lord Arcana, sword drawn, running straight toward him.

Lord Arcana's speed was no where near as fast as Gerik, but that was the only advantage Gerik had. After blocking just the first swing Lord Arcana made at him, Gerik could tell that he was at least ten times stronger than the Darknut he had faced. Not only that, but just as Navi had said he was an extremely skilled warrior. To Gerik it looked like Lord Arcana was performing sleight of hand tricks with his sword, some of which almost allowed Lord Arcana to connect his sword with Gerik. Gerik was being forced to use every skill in his arsenal just to stay alive, but it looked like Lord Arcana wasn't even breaking a sweat. Gerik wished he still had his other sword with him.

Lord Arcana went for an underarm strike, but Gerik sidestepped out of the way and quickly rushed forward to make a strike of his own. Gerik was about to stab Lord Arcana in the side, but just before his sword hit Lord Arcana disappeared. Gerik quickly circled trying to find out where Lord Arcana had reappeared and was met with a fireball in the chest. Gerik luckily blocked the full blast with his sword, but the little of the blast that did get through hit him square in the chest and sent him flying straight to the ground. Gerik hit the ground hard, and his chest was now burning.

Zelda continued attacking the enemy forces out in Hyrule Field. Her main targets were the Wizzrobes since they were the ones slaughtering the Gerudos. The Gerudos were already down to half strength, and they had hardly been fighting an hour yet. As Zelda killed another Wizzrobe, five Wizzrobes teleported right next to her on top of the wall. Zelda immediately put up a shield as the fire Wizzrobes fired magic beams at her. The Wizzrobes held their attack, pumping all the magic in their bodies into bringing down Zelda's shield.

Zelda still had plenty of magic to spare, but the Wizzrobes' attack against her shield was beginning to build up. The wall itself was starting to tremble under the stress of the magical energy. Then, in a huge flash of light, the pressure from the magic attacks was released in a huge explosion that killed all five Wizzrobes and sent Zelda flying down into Hyrule Market. Zelda had hit the ground hard, but she knew that she had to stand up quickly or be killed. Struggling against the immense pain her body was in, Zelda slowly but surely stood up. Since going back on top of the wall was out of the question, Zelda decided to attack the enemies within Hyrule Market.

Link had seen the explosion on top of the wall and worried for Zelda's safety. He quickly killed the Arcanite that he was battling with and turned to see if he could find Zelda. He had turned just in time to see her smoking body fly through the air and crash into the city. Link wanted to rush to her side, but there were hundreds of combatants fighting between where he was and Zelda had landed. He knew he'd never get over there, but was relieved when he saw her stand up. Seeing her also begin to attack the Arcanites gave him hope as well since the battle within Hyrule Market had turned even darker than before. They were on the verge of losing. Link just hoped the Gerudos were having better luck.

With Zelda now gone, the task of killing the Wizzrobes fell once again upon the mounted archers. By this time though, most were either dead or had run out of arrows. The Wizzrobes had realized what a threat they posed, and focused all their attacks on eliminating them while the Arcanites took care of the other Gerudos. Except for the fact that they were outnumbered though, the Gerudos were still holding their own despite all their setbacks.

Gerik's left leg and chest burned him, and he now had several cuts along his back to add to the pain he was in. His body having been thrown around and slammed into the ground several times wasn't lessening the pain either. In the face of all this though, Gerik continued to fight Lord Arcana. He was determined to kill Lord Arcana or die trying. Right now though Lord Arcana was holding Gerik by the front of his shirt and was about to run him through. Before he could strike though, Gerik swung and kicked off of Lord Arcana's chest, freeing himself from his grasp.

As Gerik flew through the air he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a Deku Nut. He then tossed it at Lord Arcana, who without realizing what it was tried to bat it away with his sword. Upon hitting his sword though, the Deku Nut exploded in a bright light blinding Lord Arcana. Gerik used this opportunity to rebound off of a nearby rock and fly straight through the air toward Lord Arcana. With his sword held ready, Gerik was ready to land a killing blow. Unfortunately, Lord Arcana recovered faster than he should have and put up a shield before Gerik could strike.

Gerik slammed into the shield, and at once his body was writhing in pain. Gerik's body felt like it was being electrocuted. After touching the shield for what seemed like minutes, even though it was actually seconds, Gerik was thrown backward. Once again Gerik was on his back, but this time he wasn't sure if he could get back up. His eyes were hazy, and his ears were ringing with the sounds of swords clashing and people dying nearby.

"Impressive," stated Lord Arcana. "Never has anyone lasted this long against me. You certainly are an extraordinary warrior Sheikah. It's a good thing your race is all but extinct; otherwise I might actually lose this war. Maybe it's time I stop going so easy on you."

"I thought you were going a little easy on me," replied Gerik with a smirk as he slowly raised himself up off the ground. "You're going to regret not killing me when you had the chance. I've still got a few more tricks up my sleeve. Come on boy, bring all you've got."

Gerik's ploy to frustrate Lord Arcana worked. Lord Arcana rushed forward in a fit of rage and Gerik readied himself. As Lord Arcana went for a horizontal cut designed to take off Gerik's head, Gerik quickly ducked and performed a leg sweep. Lord Arcana got caught in the back of his legs and began to fall. Before he had fallen all the way, Gerik quickly brought his sword around to slam into Lord Arcana's chest. Gerik used both hands to drive his sword down, but Lord Arcana's chest plate deflected most of the strike. Gerik was only able to punch an inch of his sword through the chest plate, but he was at least glad that he had finally drawn blood.

Lord Arcana was anything but happy at the moment. Nobody had ever made him bleed before. Clenching his right hand into a tight fist, he punched Gerik right in the face. As Gerik reeled in pain, Lord Arcana got up off the ground and took Gerik's sword out of his chest. He then threw the sword with all his might at Gerik, but Gerik caught his sword and charged straight at him. Lord Arcana readied his own sword as Gerik began his attack.

* * *

All six Sages were sprawled out upon their pedestals, completely drained of all energy. They were barely alive, but still they were pumping what strength they had left into the seal on the Evil Realm. Occasionally, the Sage Room would shake from the battle outside. Though located in a different dimension, all the sounds of death and destruction from the war outside was leaking through. The Sages could hear and feel everything that was happening. 

As the Sages lied there, they all opened their eyes wide at the exact same moment as they all felt a powerful presence. Summoning what strength they still had hidden, they all rose up off the ground and looked at one another. They all had the same worried expression on their faces as a bright light began to form in the middle of the room.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Ruto. "The seal, it's. . .it's. . .it's breaking. We've failed."

"No we haven't!" yelled Rauru. "As long as we still draw breath we have not failed. When that seal breaks, I want you all to attack Ganon with everything you have left. We must not allow him to escape."

"But we're too weak," piped in Saria. "Our powers are drained. We're nothing but shells of our former selves."

"Do not talk like that," said Darunia in a stern voice. "Brother Link is out there fighting against a larger and more superior army, yet he has not given up. He still fights on, as do the Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudo. If they can fight and die for something that they believe in, then so can we. We will not abandon Hyrule."

"At the very least we must weaken Ganon," added Nabooru. "We might not have the strength to defeat him, but at the very least we can weaken him so that he is not as much a threat."

"Get ready everyone," said Impa. "The seal is about to break."

The light that had formed in the middle of the room was getting bigger and brighter every second. Just as Impa had uttered her last few words, the light exploded in a brilliant flash that sent shockwaves into the waiting Sages who were sent flying across the room. As they recovered from the blast, they saw Ganon standing there, a wicked smile on his face as he stared at the weakened Sages.

"I'm free," he shouted. "I knew I would escape that damn seal, but I never knew it would be so soon. Now I can get my revenge on those responsible for sealing me away. Hey, what's that noise."

As Ganon tried to determine what the sounds of the war were, all six Sages charged him. Darunia got to him first and got him in a big bear hug. As he was squeezing the life from Ganon, the other Sages summoned what magic they could and focused it into one giant blast aimed directly at Ganon. Ganon was taken aback by all of this. In his excitement of having escaped the Evil Realm he didn't notice that the Sages were in the room with him. Darunia kept Ganon from escaping as the blast headed directly for Ganon and hit him at full strength.

When the smoke from the blast had cleared, the Sages all looked to see if they had succeeded. What they saw was a completely unharmed and laughing Ganon, who was still being held tightly in Darunia's grasp. In a sudden show of strength, Ganon easily broke out of Darunia's grasp and then elbowed him hard in the face. As Darunia flew across the room, the other Sages, who no longer had any magic left within them, charged Ganon. Ganon, seeing how weak they were, didn't even bother to draw his sword as they charged.

Nabooru reached him first. She tried to do a roundhouse kick, but Ganon caught her leg in midair and pulled her toward him getting her into a headlock. He then snapped her neck as Saria and Ruto tried double teaming him. With his hands now free he grabbed both of them by the neck and choked the life out of them, dropping their limp bodies to the floor once they were dead. Seeing three of her fellow Sages dead, Impa became enraged and used her Sheikah speed to get by Ganon and deliver a flurry of quick punches and kicks.

Impa finished off with a strong kick to Ganon's midsection, using all her remaining strength to do so. It wasn't enough though, and all Ganon did was keel over slightly. Impa was about to get out of Ganon's reach, but before she could Ganon grabbed the back of her hair and pulled her to the ground. Ganon then used his free hand to create a dark energy ball and slammed the magic attack into Impa's chest, killing her. Darunia was now on his feet again, and he was charging straight for Ganon. Just before he could tackle Ganon from behind though, Ganon drew his sword and sliced Darunia's head cleanly off of his body.

Ganon just laughed as he put his sword away and stared at the dead bodies of the Sages. It then dawned on him that there were only five dead bodies laying at his feet. There was one Sage still missing. Before Ganon could turn around to look though, Rauru grabbed him from behind and grasped him just as Darunia had done earlier. Ganon couldn't break free this time though, and when he looked down at Rauru's arms wrapped around his chest he saw that they were glowing. A look of fear spread across Ganon's face as he realized what was happening.

"You fool!" Ganon shouted. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Taking you out one way or another," Rauru replied, "and if that means sacrificing myself to do it then so be it. Escape this you tyrant!"

Rauru's body began to glow brighter and brighter. Ganon struggled as hard as he could, but he couldn't escape Rauru's grasp. Then, just as Rauru's body got so bright that it was like looking into the sun, Rauru's body exploded into a giant explosion that not only engulfed Ganon, but the entire Sage Room as well.

* * *

Zelda had been slowly making her way toward the exit of Hyrule Market as she continued firing off her magic attacks against the Arcanites. She couldn't help but wonder how the Gerudo were faring without her being there to fend off the Wizzrobes. If what was happening inside Hyrule Market was any indication, then the Gerudo were being slaughtered. Her thoughts then jumped to Gerik, who she knew was headstrong and foolish. She wondered if he was even still alive considering that she had seen him go after Lord Arcana herself. 

As Zelda was contemplating whether or not to tell Link to sound the retreat, the Temple of Time, the only structure within Hyrule Market still standing, exploded in a huge fireball that sent debris flying to every corner of Hyrule Market, and even over the wall to Hyrule Field. Everyone in Hyrule Market, both good and bad, stopped fighting and turned to look at what was going on. As they stared at the wreckage they saw Ganon fly out of the smoke and hover in the air, laughing as he did so.

Everyone stood there in shock as they looked at Ganon hovering in the air, but both Link and Zelda were aghast. They couldn't believe that Ganon was once again free. Now not only did they have to deal with Lord Arcana, but also Ganon, the one who wants revenge against them. Navi was the worst off though. She was simply horrified at seeing Ganon because she knew that for him to be floating there then the Sages were all dead.

The initial shock by Ganon's appearance soon went away as the fighting resumed. Nobody seemed to know how big a threat Ganon was not did they care. Zelda knew though, and she also knew that they had no choice but to retreat now. They needed to regroup their forces and come up with a plan. She just hoped that Link realized this also. The only problem was preventing more loss of life while they retreated. Zelda then knew what she had to do.

* * *

Link and Zelda cautiously made their way through the now open door to the Triforce Room in the Temple of Light. As they entered, magical torches ignited to reveal a medium sized room within. In the room were statues of the 3 goddesses, one on each wall. Farore was on the wall to their left, Din on the wall in front of them, and Naryu on the wall to their right. As Link and Zelda looked around the room, the statue of Naryu began to glow faintly blue. 

"Zelda," the statue began to say, "the Sage of Wisdom, wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom. . .it is time to unlock that which hides within you; your hidden potential. Place your hands upon mine, and I shall release the wealth of latent energy within you."

The statue then went silent, but the blue glow stayed. Slowly, Zelda reached her hands out and placed them upon the statue's outstretched hands. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she had to trust that it would only help her in the end. As soon as Zelda's hands were placed on the statue's, she was engulfed in a blue glow. Zelda seemed to hover slightly in the air as her body became brighter and brighter. Then, in one big flash of light, Zelda was back on her feet, the glow was gone, and Zelda was taking her hands off of the statue's hands.

"It is done," said the statue. "Your magical powers are now nearly limitless. You have also been given the knowledge of all magical spells, including the Heavens' Light. This is the most powerful spell a mortal can wield, but be warned; it is also the most dangerous. This attack will create an aura of light around you that will extend and destroy all you wish destroyed. When it reaches its limit it will stand as a barrier allowing only those you wish to pass through unharmed. The barrier will stand as long as you have magical energy, but even though your magic is nearly limitless it will be consumed quickly, after which your body will collapse from exhaustion. You may be tempted to tap into your life energy, but don't. It will kill you. Use this as a last result only, when all hope seems lost."

* * *

Focusing all of her energy, Zelda closed her eyes and slammed her hands together in front of her. Her body began to glow in the same golden color as Link's Light Arrows. Then, thrusting her arms outward, an aura of golden light spread out and began to engulf Hyrule Market. Upon touching it all Arcanites were instantly vaporized, but everyone else was left unharmed. The aura continued to grow and finally stopped extending several feet beyond the wall. 

Ganon, who saw the aura killing all the Arcanites and heading straight for him prepared himself. He extended his arms outward and tried to block the attack with his hands. The aura didn't kill Ganon, but Ganon wasn't blocking the attack either. He was being pushed back by it. Upon reaching it's full length Ganon tried to pass through, but he was unable to. He punched and kicked the barrier, but it was to no avail.

As everyone within Hyrule Market was wondering what was going on, Link grabbed his bow and readied three arrows in it. Since Zelda was using the Heavens' Light, he knew what she wanted him to do. He transformed one of the three arrows into a Fire Arrow, one into an Ice Arrow, and the third into a Light Arrow, and fired all three straight up into the air. Upon flying as high as they could go, all three arrows exploded into their respective colors, sending out bright rays of red, blue, and gold across all of Hyrule Field. Link had signaled the retreat.

Everyone in Hyrule Market began flooding out of the city, carrying any wounded they found with them. Link stood by the exit coordinating the retreat. So far Zelda's barrier was still up, but he didn't know for how much longer it would last. As everyone retreated to Hyrule Castle, Link stayed behind to catch Zelda when she collapsed. He just hoped that she wouldn't be foolish enough to tap into her life energy.

The Gerudo, even they were never told what the retreat signal would be, knew that the signal to retreat had been given. They quickly slew whoever they had been fighting and ran with all their strength to the golden barrier that was still extending out from the wall. There were no wounded Gerudos to rescue, so the surviving Gerudos only had to make sure that they made it through the barrier.

Gerik and Lord Arcana were at a standstill. They were currently circling each other, watching one another very closely. Lord Arcana had no new wounds to speak of, but Gerik was sporting several more cuts on his arms and legs. Neither one of them had noticed the Heavens' Light attack, but the red, blue, and gold rays of light had caught both their attentions.

"Well," said Gerik with a sigh, "it looks like play time is over. I have to go back home now."

"Quitting already," mocked Lord Arcana. "I thought I was facing a warrior, not a coward. Just because the rest of your pathetic army is running with their tails between their legs doesn't mean you have to. Stay and fight. Let's finish this."

"Yeah, I'm going to stay out here and fight you while your army is the only one on the field. What kind of a fool do you take me for. There is nothing cowardice about a tactical retreat. Mark my words; we will finish this, and I will kill you."

With those parting words Gerik tossed another Deku Nut. Lord Arcana was ready this time and shielded his eyes from the blast, but when he looked he saw that Gerik was gone, as were the Gerudos. Lord Arcana just smiled. His army had taken the field, and now it was time to take Hyrule.


	17. Chapter 16

Lord Arcana smiled as he slowly walked across the desolate landscape that was once Hyrule Field. He was enjoying the total carnage all around him. Even though more than half of the dead bodies lying on the field were his own soldiers, he still couldn't be happier. His army was still much larger, Hyrule Market had been taken, and the remainder of Hyrule's defenders were now backed into a corner. Lord Arcana didn't even bother to avoid stepping on any of the dead bodies as he headed toward Hyrule Market, even though it would have been difficult to do so even if he had wanted. As far as Lord Arcana was concerned they were all beneath him, and their deaths only proved how pathetic they truly were.

All the Darknuts were currently standing at attention on either side of the entrance to Hyrule Market creating a clear path for Lord Arcana to walk down. The remaining Wizzrobes were all situated on top of the crumbling wall. They were using their magic to make themselves hover slightly above the wall so as not to collapse it completely. The remaining Arcanites, which even though suffering extreme losses still outnumbered the Darknuts and Wizzrobes even if just slightly, were all inside the ruins of Hyrule Market preparing for both Lord Arcana's arrival and the final assault.

Still smiling, Lord Arcana continued walking toward Hyrule Market, stopping only once to look at one of the hundreds of frozen Gorons. After admiring the beauty of the spell that had done this, Lord Arcana pushed the Goron and continued walking as the frozen Goron hit the ground and shattered into hundreds of pieces. Laughing now as he walked, Lord Arcana stopped again as an Arcanite came running up to him.

"My lord," began the Arcanite as he bowed before Lord Arcana, "there is somebody waiting for you within the city. It's your son, Ganon."

"What!" yelled Lord Arcana, his smile being replaced with a look of anger. "Damn it, this isn't part of the plan. I was supposed to conquer Hyrule and then I would release him so that I could kill him and take the Triforce of Power. Ganon is more cunning than I ever gave him credit for. He sensed the seal containing him weakening and released himself. Of all the things to take after me with, it had to be that."

"What do you want to do sir?"

"I'm thinking! Now let me see. Maybe I can use him to take over Hyrule and then kill him after. No, too risky. Those bitch mothers of his trained him to hate me. He wants me dead as much as I want him dead. The longer he's alive the worse off I'll be. Guess I'll just have to kill him now then. Go, tell my son to step forth. I will not go to him. He must come to me."

"At once."

The Arcanite bowed again before turning around and running back into Hyrule Market. Lord Arcana then began rubbing his chin as he thought of how to kill Ganon. Lord Arcana smirked and let out a chuckle as he reached down and pulled a sharp and crooked dagger out from his boot. Standing upright again, Lord Arcana stared at the blade. The metal blade glistened dully in the darkness of the night from the light of the fires burning in Hyrule Field as well as the raging firestorm that was Hyrule Market.

After staring at the dagger for some time, Lord Arcana slipped it up his sleeve. He then stood there waiting for Ganon to arrive. The thunder and lightening that had been there for so long had now ceased. The only things now giving off light were the fires, and currently the only sounds that could be heard was the crackling of the fires. The drizzle that continued to drench the battlefield had now turned into a very fine mist. While not as bad as the drizzle, the mist was still soaking everything in sight.

Ganon finally appeared in the entranceway to Hyrule Market. Slowly he stepped forward, stopping once he had crossed the frozen river. Lord Arcana and Ganon just stood in their spots staring at each other. The Darknuts continued to stand at attention, but the Wizzrobes were watching everything that was going on very intently. Several dozen Arcanites had even snuck into the entranceway to see what was going to happen. Then, to both the Wizzrobes and Arcanites surprise, both Ganon and Lord Arcana smiled and laughed.

While still laughing they both walked toward each other. They weren't walking slowly, but they weren't running toward each other either. As soon as they neared each other they both spread their arms out and then embraced one another in a hug. Lord Arcana's laugh began getting more devious as he slowly pulled the dagger out from his sleeve. When it was fully out of his sleeve he gripped it tightly in his hand and got ready to stab it directly into Ganon's back. Just as he was about to do this, Lord Arcana felt a sharp pain in his chest and staggered backwards.

"How does the old saying go;" laughed Ganon as he watched his father stagger backwards in pain, "great minds think alike? Well, I guess you just weren't fast enough father."

"You. . .bastard!" shouted Lord Arcana as he looked down at the sword protruding from his chest.

"Pathetic fool. Did you really think I wouldn't know that you would want me dead?"

"You always. . .were too. . .smart. . .for your own. . .good."

"Oh father. I really want to thank you for all that you're doing for me right now."

"What. . .are you. . .talking about?"

"It's the only reason you're still alive right now. I'm sure you can feel it by now. Not only is your life slipping away, but so is your power. I placed a spell on my sword before stabbing you. I am draining all of your power as well as all your knowledge about war and the Dark Arts. Everything that once made you the most feared man in the world is now being given to me. I will be more powerful than ever. With your powers now combined with my own, I will be unstoppable."

"I. . .won't let you," declared Lord Arcana as he tried to step toward Ganon with the dagger held high. "If I. . .can't have Hyrule. . .or the. . .Triforce of Power,. . .then. . .no one will!"

"You make me laugh father," Ganon laughed as his father fell to his knees in pain. "Well, I've really enjoyed this reunion and all, but I'm afraid it's time to say goodbye. Goodbye father."

With a laugh wicked enough to rival his father's, Ganon pulled his sword out of Lord Arcana's chest and immediately slammed it back in, this time making sure to pierce his heart. Unlike when Gerik had tried, Ganon's sword sliced through Lord Arcana's chest plate like butter and pierced all the way through to Lord Arcana's back. Positive that Lord Arcana was dead, Ganon removed his sword and watched in glee as his father's limp body fell to the ground.

The Wizzrobes and Arcanites all looked on in horror as they watched their leader's dead body fall to the ground. They could not believe that he had been killed, and so easily as well. In desperation the Arcanites that had seen what happened drew their weapons and charged forward. The Wizzrobes in turn each fired a magic spell at Ganon. Ganon just stood there, his back toward all of them, as the spells and Arcanites approached. Just as the spells were about to hit Ganon created a barrier that deflected all the spells. He then quickly turned around and summoned a powerful gust of wind to blow the Arcanites back, but not kill them. The Darknuts remained motionless throughout all of this.

"Fools!" shouted Ganon to the Arcanites and Wizzrobes. "Take a lesson from your fellow Darknut soldiers. They know the rules. Not only have I bested your leader, but he was my father as well. Either way, that now means that you are my soldiers. The Darknuts aren't letting emotions cloud their judgement, and neither should you. None of you like me I'm sure, especially after killing your beloved leader, but I don't know any of you and as a result I don't like any of you either. You are my army now though, and together we will conquer Hyrule. If nothing else you should do this to complete my father's dream. Now you can either join me or not. Just know that I reward my faithful servants well, and I kill any who oppose me."

The Arcanites and Wizzrobes just stood there. They knew that every word Ganon had spoken was the truth. He was their leader now, and even if they all joined forces they couldn't hope to kill him, especially now that he was stronger than Lord Arcana had ever been. With reluctance, they all bowed to their new leader.

"Good. I knew my father would never allow any idiots into his army. You have all chosen wisely, and you will be rewarded handsomely for all your troubles should you survive the final battle. Now go and inform the rest of your fellow soldiers waiting inside Hyrule Market of what transpired out here. Tell them of their new leader, and prepare for the final assault. I meanwhile, shall summon forth the Triforce."

* * *

The field in front of Hyrule Castle was a welcome sight for the weary warriors retreating from the front lines, especially the Hylians. The Hylians had been fighting this war from the very beginning without rest, and though they knew that retreating meant they were on the verge of losing they still welcomed this chance to relax and recover. Even though this was a chance to rest, they knew that they couldn't become careless. That's why upon reaching the castle King Hyrule ordered archers to stand watch on top of the cliffs overlooking the path to the castle as well as on top of the giant gate that blocked the path. 

Currently the gate was open, allowing everyone to retreat to the safety of the field behind it. As the archers stood there making sure that no enemies were following them, they also watched as their allies and comrades were falling back from the city, many carrying wounded with them. While nearly no one escaped unscathed, some of the more seriously wounded were in terrible shape. There were some with missing limbs, and still others had large gashes across their bodies exposing both bone and guts. None of them, even the most experienced among them, had ever seen horrors such as this, and it was enough to make the blood of even the most stalwart among them run cold.

At seeing the return of their warriors, several dozen retainers and other assorted people came running out of Hyrule Castle to tend to the injured. The first one out though, was Malon. As soon as her feet left the castle halls she began searching frantically for her father. She looked at the warriors who had already arrived, as well as the wounded, and after not finding her father headed down to the gate to wait for him. Her worry began to grow as the number of Hylians returning was decreasing and was being replaced by retreating Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudo. As Malon continued to wait, the golden light that was illuminating the entire area was beginning to grow dull and it was getting harder to see who the new arrivals were.

The Heavens' Light barrier was beginning to shrink. As the total number of retreating soldiers was getting smaller, the barrier started to flicker before finally failing completely. The entire area went pitch black, the path leading to the castle being slightly illuminated by the firestorm that was Hyrule Market. Torches were immediately lit all along the cliffs, the gate, and the castle walls. All the waiting archers readied their bows knowing that the enemy could now come after them with the barrier down.

Malon's heart sank as the last of the retreating warriors made their way past the gate. Giving up all hope, she was about to turn around and join the others when she spotted another figure walking up the path. The figure was carrying someone in their arms. Malon's excitement was short-lived though. The figure was too tall and not bulky enough to be her father. Her spirits did rise slightly when the figure stepped into the light and she could see his face. It was Link, and in his arms was the limp and unconscious body of Zelda.

"Link," Malon called out, "are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied, "but Zelda is unconscious. Quick, take her up to the castle for me. I have to go back and see if anyone was left behind."

"Don't bother," came a familiar voice from behind. "Everyone else is dead. I made sure to check before coming here."

Link quickly turned around as Malon focused her attention on the man standing behind Link. It was Gerik, and wrapped around his shoulder was Talon. Talon's eyes were half closed, his face badly bruised, and he had several small cuts up and down his chest and back. Despite all that, and to the joy of Malon, he was very much alive. Malon quickly ran over to him, but as she approached she could hear him mumbling.

"Don't worry about him," said Gerik. "From the looks of it he took a heavy blow to the head. He should be fine in a couple of hours, but there's no way he can continue to fight. Hey Link, what happened to Zelda!"

"I'll explain later," Link said turning around again. "Right now we should regroup and plan for their next assault. Let's go."

Link walked forward and past the gate still holding Zelda in his arms. Gerik followed after with Malon helping him to carry her father. Once they were all through the gate was shut almost immediately and a dozen knights armed with pikes stood behind it to stop anyone that charged the gate. Once behind the gate Gerik and Malon handed Talon over to the retainers who were bringing all of the wounded unable to continue fighting inside the castle. Malon went with them while Gerik headed over to Link.

Link didn't hand Zelda over to the retainers. Instead he carried her over to the fence just outside the moat and laid her down on the ground. For anyone just looking at her it appeared as if Zelda was dead. The only sign that she was still alive was her breathing, which was very shallow at the moment. Link just stared at her expressionless face with a look of extreme worry, water dripping off of his rain soaked face onto hers. Gerik stood back a few feet, unsure of what to say.

As he waited for Link to make the first move, Gerik heard a female voice shout his name from behind. Turning around, Gerik was nearly tackled to the ground as Navi ran and jumped into his arms. The two quickly kissed before Gerik released his embrace and let her fall back to her feet. The two of them then just stared at one another with big smiles on both their faces.

"You jackass," Navi quipped. "Do you know how worried you made me?"

"Not half as worried as when I didn't see you standing on top of the wall with Link and Zelda when I returned," he replied. "I told you that I would return, and that I wouldn't be alone. I always keep my word."

"Smart-alec. Maybe that's why I love you so much."

"Zelda," shouted a very worried sounding voice from nearby.

Link, Gerik, and Navi all turned to see King Hyrule walking toward him. His face was in a state of shock as he stared at Zelda's unmoving body. As he got closer he slowed his pace removing his helm as got closer. Link, Gerik, and Navi could all tell that he was on the verge of tears as he stared at Zelda.

"Your majesty," Link quickly said as he got up and headed over to him, "don't worry. She's perfectly fine. Her body is just exhausted from that spell she used; that's all. Once her body has had some time to rest, she'll wake up and be her normal self."

"Oh, thank the gods," King Hyrule cried. "I am so glad to hear that. If something had happened to her, I don't know what I would've done."

"Speaking of that spell," piped in Navi, "Link, that wasn't the Heavens' Light; was it?"

"Yes, it was," he replied taking a glance at Zelda's unconscious form. "How do you know about the Heavens' Light?"

"I know all the magical spells out there. Heavens' Light happens to be one of the few that I do not know how to perform myself. Doesn't matter though. Even if I did I don't have enough magic to even start the spell. Only the truly gifted can even attempt to use the Heavens' Light. I've never heard of the spell actually being performed before. Where did Zelda learn it?"

"She learned it in the Triforce Room back at the Temple of Light along with every other magical spell and an increase in her magic. Navi, are you feeling alright?"

Link noticed that Navi was breathing heavily. Her eyes were filled with weariness, and even though her face was soaked from the mist Link was positive that she was sweating. She had shone a burst of energy when she had seen Gerik and ran up to him, but now she was unconsciously rocking back and forth slightly as she stood and every once and a while she had to steady herself before falling over. Navi had hoped that no one would notice, and was surprised when Link had said something.

"Don't worry about me," she said with a weak smile, "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired is all. It's no more than the rest of you."

"Yes, it is," said Link. "You can barely stand."

"Alright, I may have gone a little overboard with my magic, but I'm telling you that I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're not going to fight in the next battle. When the battle begins you're going to be in the castle watching over Zelda and resting. That's an order."

"But you can't do that! We've already suffered heavy losses. Taking me out of the fight will only hurt us even more."

"I'm not going to send someone voluntarily to their death. You're in no condition to fight. I'm surprised at you. I thought that you out of anyone would have had the brains enough to retreat in the condition you're in."

"Navi, listen to Link," Gerik said in a caring tone. "What good will it do to fight if you can barely stand? I don't want anything happening to you. Besides, Zelda will need someone to watch over her. Please Navi, do it for me. Stay out of the fight."

"Okay Gerik, if that is how you truly feel. I won't participate in the next battle. If the fighting spills into the castle however, then all bets are off."

"I'm glad that you got all that settled," interrupted King Hyrule, "but Navi was right about our suffering heavy losses. I've just received a quick head count of our remaining forces. The Gerudos have roughly 265 troops remaining, the Gorons roughly 135, and the Zoras roughly 100. As for our own troops, we have a combined total of about 300 troops remaining. We're looking at roughly 800 troops total that are left. Four armies and we can't even break a thousand. These counts don't include any of the wounded, but most of the wounded aren't expected to make it anyway."

Link, Gerik, and Navi just stood there, their faces blank. The numbers weren't really a surprise to them; they had always known the numbers would be high. In their hearts though they had all hoped it wouldn't be this bad. As they stood there, they all started looking around the field, King Hyrule doing the same. Most of the troops were resting, either sitting on the ground or propped up against something. Their faces were sullen, all joy having been sucked out of them. Even though each and every one of them knew that the odds were stacked against them, knew how this was most likely going to end, none of them were showing any fear. They had embraced what was going to happen, and were ready to face it head on.

"Well wait a minute," said Gerik all of a sudden as he turned toward Link, "if Zelda learned that powerful attack inside the Triforce Room then you must have learned something there as well. Am I right?"

* * *

The statue of Naryu fell silent and it's blue glow began to fade. When it was gone, a green light began to shine from behind them. Link and Zelda both turned around to see the statue of Farore glowing green just as the statue of Naryu had glowed blue. Knowing that this statue was for him, Link stepped forward and awaited the statue's response. 

"Link," the statue began to say, "the Hero of Time, wielder of the Triforce of Courage. . .failed you did to kill Ganon seven years ago, ending up only sealing him away in the end. This was no fault of your own. You were thrust into combat without any knowledge of how to properly wield the Master Sword, and as a result you could not tap into the sword's true power. Place your hands upon my own, and I shall make this knowledge known to you."

Knowing that there was nothing to worry about, Link stepped forward confidently and placed both his hands upon the statue's. Just as what happened to Zelda, Link's body became engulfed in the green glow of the statue and he began to hover. The glow grew brighter and brighter ending in one big flash. Link was then back on his feet and removing his hands from the statue's hands.

"There, now you know how to wield the Master Sword. In your hands, the sword will once again become the Sword of Evil's Bane. Unless evil is destroyed, it will always return. It is now your destiny to use the sword to vanquish the evil that threatens Hyrule once and for all. Only you have the knowledge, and only you can accomplish this goal."

* * *

"Yeah, I learned something alright," said Link solemnly, "but it's not going to help us. Not anymore it's not." 

"You're wrong Link," came an old yet familiar voice from above them. "The Master Sword awaits you. You have only to go and take it from it's pedestal. Hoo hooooooot!"

"Kaepora Gaebora!" Link said in amazement as he looked up at the owl perched on top of the fence. "You're. . .you're still alive."

"Wait, did you say Kaepora Gaebora?" asked Gerik as he looked at the giant owl. "He's the third Guardian of the Triforce! The tides have just turned back into our favor."

"Actually Gerik, he's the last remaining Guardian of the Triforce," explained Navi as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Remember, I gave up that position when I came here to help you guys. It's good to see you again Kaepora."

"Ah, and it does my old heart good to see you again Navi," said Kaepora with a smile. "I'm glad to see that you have not yet been taken by this terrible war. That goes for all of you. And no Gerik, I'm afraid that the tides have not turned back into your favor. I am an old man. My fighting days are behind me, but I shall assist you in any way possible."

"Kaepora Gaebora," started up Link again, "you said something about the Master Sword awaiting me. What are you talking about? Wasn't the sword destroyed when Ganon was released and the Temple of Time exploded."

"Ganon!" exclaimed Gerik before Navi covered his mouth and whispered in his ear that she would explain everything.

"No Link," said Kaepora Gaebora. "It would take an explosion thousands of times greater to destroy the Master Sword. Though the Temple of Time is gone, both the sword and the pedestal it rests within remain. You have only to go and pull the sword from the pedestal to be reunited with your sword again."

Before anyone could say anything else, the Triforce symbol on the back of Link's hand began to glow. Everyone stared in wonderment, not sure of what this meant. As they continued to stare, another bright glow caught their attention. They all looked down and saw that the Triforce symbol on Zelda's hand was glowing as well. Then, in the blink of an eye, the glow from the two Triforce symbols became a beam of light that shot off their hands and into the night sky.

Everyone quickly watched as the two beams of light shot straight up into the air and then turned toward Death Mountain. The two beams of light were then joined by a third that was coming from somewhere in Hyrule Field. The three beams collided in mid air lighting up all of Hyrule in a bright light for a brief second. After Hyrule returned to darkness the now combined beams of light shot straight toward the summit of Death Mountain, crashing into the mountain with such force that it sent a small tremor throughout all of Hyrule.

At the spot where the beam of light collided into Death Mountain, an aura of light descended from the sky. It wasn't bright enough to cast any light out upon Hyrule, but it was bright enough for anyone that looked at Death Mountain to notice. Nobody had any idea what was going on, but Link caught a glimpse of Kaepora Gaebora ruffling his feathers out of the corner of his eye.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Gerik.

"It's finally happened," said Kaepora Gaebora, his voice distant. "The Triforce has been summoned."

"What!" exclaimed Navi in surprise. "But. . .but how? Since Link, Zelda, and Ganon all possess one fragment of the Triforce, they would all have to be together to summon the Triforce."

"Apparently Ganon found another way to summon the Triforce. Link, you must stop him. If Ganon touches the Triforce and makes his wish, then all hope will be gone."

"But how am I supposed to stop him?" asked Link, not sure of what to do. "If I had my Goron Tunic I could take the Ocarina of Time from Zelda and teleport myself to the Fire Temple, but without it I'd never survive the heat. Ganon already has a lead on me. I'll never be able to catch up to him."

"Flying is much faster than walking young one. I said I would aid you in any way possible, and I meant it. Climb on my back, and I will fly you up to the formation known as Spectacle Rock. That is the spot where the Triforce waits. Of course, we'll be making one little stop along the way."

"Right," winked Link, knowing exactly what Kaepora meant. "I'm not sure of what to wish for myself though. Gerik, I'm about to ask you the biggest favor anyone could ever ask someone. If you say no I'll understand. Ganon is going to have to be distracted if I'm to make it up there and make a wish before Ganon does. Would you do it?"

"Come on Link," said Gerik in a joking tone, "do you think I would ever turn away from a fight? Hell no I wouldn't; especially if it's someone who can give me at least a decent challenge. I held my own against Lord Arcana didn't I, and he's way stronger than Ganon. I'll be perfectly fine."

"Well your majesty," said Link turning toward King Hyrule, "that only leaves you left. With Gerik and I off saving the world, and both Zelda and Navi incapacitated at the moment, you're in charge of Hyrule's defense. I hand over the soldiers to your command sir. I'll try to get this done before they attack again."

"Take all the time you need," said King Hyrule confidently. "We may be on the verge of defeat, but we're also on the verge of victory. It all now depends on who makes their wish upon the Triforce first. We will hold out if the final attack comes, no matter the price. Just make sure you're the one who makes that wish."

"Don't worry, I will," said Link with full confidence as he climbed onto Kaepora Gaebora's back. "Well Gerik, you ready?"

"I've never been more ready my entire life," he replied with a smile. "Now I can get my revenge on the man who corrupted my parents, and finally restore my honor. Let's go."

Kaepora Gaebora, with Link riding on his back, started flapping his wings and took off into the sky. Before taking off himself, Gerik turned toward Navi. He could see the worry in her eyes, but he just smiled back at her. He knew that she would have had that same worried look if he had stayed behind to wait for the final battle. Without saying a word, Gerik hugged Navi, kissed her forehead, and then took off to find Ganon.

Kaepora Gaebora flew through the air effortlessly. His vision allowed him to cut through the darkness and see everything as clear as day. He flew so swift and silently that the enemy soldiers right underneath him weren't even aware of his existence. Kaepora flew toward the burning remains of the Temple of Time, and, just as he had said, the Master Sword was sticking up out of the rubble unscathed. He quickly swooped down toward the sword, scaring the hell out of a few nearby Arcanites. As he neared the sword Link stretched out his arm and grabbed the Master Sword as they flew past.

With the Master Sword in hand, Kaepora rose back up into the sky and headed straight for Death Mountain. Several Arcanites, who were now aware of their existence, drew their bows and fired arrow after arrow trying to take them down. Most of the arrows fell short and Kaepora effortlessly dodged the rest. All of this attention didn't go unnoticed. Ganon, who was still standing in Hyrule Field, looked up into the sky and saw Kaepora Gaebora flying toward Death Mountain with Link on his back.

"What a surprise," said Ganon with a scowl, "that meddling kid is on his way to stop me. And it seems that he has that damn owl helping him once again as well. Well played Link, well played. Too bad it's time for you to die now. I was hoping to kill you with my bare hands and look into your eyes as your life drained away, but I'll settle for killing two birds with one stone."

Ganon raised his right palm into the air and began creating a ball of dark energy. The spell circled around in his palm as the ball became bigger and bigger. When the ball was of sufficient size to kill both Link and Kaepora Gaebora, Ganon extended his arm backward to get more force behind the attack and fired. Just as the attack was about to leave Ganon's hand though, Ganon was dropkicked in the head and the dark energy attack flew off course. Ganon quickly looked to see who had attacked him and saw Gerik standing there with his sword drawn and ready to fight.

"You're not killing anyone today Ganon!" shouted Gerik with full resolve.

"Foolish boy, do you have any idea who I am?" shouted Ganon in anger. "You will pay dearly for your insolence."

"Really? Then why am I not afraid of you? Oh, I know why. It's because I was able to hold my own against your father, who is easily twice the warrior you are. Face it Ganon, you're small time."

"Fool!" Ganon laughed. "I've already killed my father, and what's more, I took all his strength and power for my own. His powers are now combined with my own. I am now more powerful than he ever was."

"Makes no difference to me," Gerik said, a hint of fear in his voice. "I don't have to kill you; I just have to distract you."

"Then why do I hear fear in your voice?"

"Don't confuse fear with excitement. Now let's go Ganon, unless you're a chicken."

* * *

Kaepora Gaebora flew on toward Death Mountain unaware of the fact that Ganon had spotted him. Though the dark energy ball Ganon had fired was no longer on a direct course thanks to Gerik, it was still heading toward them. Kaepora saw the attack at the last second and attempted to dodge, but the energy ball hit Kaepora's right wing. Kaepora Gaebora squawked in pain as he fell into a nosedive. Kaepora Gaebora nosedived straight into the mountainside, sending Link flying off his back and into a huge rock. 

Recovering from the blow Link stood up and looked around for Kaepora Gaebora. He saw him several feet away, his right wing now blackened and shriveled. Kaepora himself was breathing very slowly, and except for an occasional twitch he didn't move as Link approached him. Link circled around the his body toward his face, which was covered in dirt and rocks from the nosedive.

"Link. . .we're. . .here," Kaepora managed to say.

"Don't talk, conserve your energy," Link said, not sure of what else to do.

"It's. . .too late. . .for. . .me. Go! Stop Ganon. . .before. . .it's too. . .la–"

Kaepora Gaebora's head dropped down back into the dirt. His eyes were now shut, his body went limp, and his breathing stopped. Link just sat there staring at the now dead body. As he sat there, he noticed for the first time that the area all around him was illuminated. Looking all around him, he noticed that the light was concentrated behind the huge rock he was sitting against. Taking a peek behind the rock, he saw the Triforce, complete and floating in midair awaiting the one who would make their wish upon it.

The Triforce was one of the most beautiful things Link had ever seen. The Triforce was about the same height as him, and it looked and shone as if it was made out of pure gold. As Link stared in amazement he stood up off the ground and started walking toward it as if he was mesmerized. As he approached it three bright lights shot down from the heavens, one blue, one red, and the last green. They flew down and landed around the Triforce. The lights didn't take any form, but instead floated in the air as just a ball of light. Staring at each one of them, Link knew that they were the three goddesses, or at the very least representations of the goddesses.

"Link, we are glad to see that it is you and not Ganon who has reached the Triforce," said the green ball of light that represented Farore.

"Be warned though when making your wish," said the red ball of light representing Din. "While it does have the power to fulfill your heart's desire, wording your wish wrong can cause more harm than good. Take this wish for example. Should you happen to wish all the evil in the world destroyed, you'll wipe out all life. All living things have evil within them, no matter how little the evil may be. Even you have evil within your heart."

"But then what should I wish for?" Link asked the goddesses, hoping that they would point him in the right direction.

"We cannot answer that for you," said the blue ball of light that represented Naryu. "The answer is within you. Have you ever wondered why you need courage, power, and wisdom to make a wish upon the Triforce? It is not only a defense against evil, but also a way to prevent someone from making the wrong decision when making their wish. You need power to overcome all obstacles and summon the Triforce, wisdom to know exactly what to wish for, and courage to make that wish even though it may be the most difficult thing you've ever had to do."

"You know what you have to do Link," said Farore. "There is only one wish that can save Hyrule now. You know what that wish is. Now make it."

"Step away from the Triforce!" shouted a familiar and demanding voice from behind.

Link quickly turned around and saw Ganon standing there. Link stared into Ganon's face with a look of determination, but something else caught his eye. Link looked down and saw Gerik's body being held by the back of his shirt in Ganon's hand. Gerik's entire body was a bloody mess. It was so bad it was impossible to tell how many cuts were actually on his body. Gerik's face was also bruised badly underneath all the blood, and Link was sure that Gerik's right arm was broken in at least two places. As Link stared in complete shock, Gerik slowly raised his head and looked at Link.

"I'm. . .sor. . .ry. . .Link," Gerik struggled to say as he coughed up blood. "I. . .held. . .him. . .off. . .as long as. . .I. . .could. Tell. . .Navi. . .that I. . .love. . .her."

"You bastard!" yelled Link in full anger while drawing the Master Sword as Gerik's head and body fell limp.

"Please," smiled Ganon as he tossed Gerik's bloody and beaten body to the ground, "you plan on using the Master Sword on me again. You don't even know how to wield it, which is why I still live. Now step out of the way and allow me to make my wish or you'll end up like you're buddy over there."

"Seven years ago I may not have known how to wield this sword, but now things are different. This time Ganon, you will die. You will pay for all the lives you've taken, and all the lives you've ruined. Today Ganon, I will kill you!"

Link's words were full of nothing but anger. Link's usually cheerful face was replaced with a look of utter hatred. Link planted his feet firmly in the ground and gripped the Master Sword with both his hands while Ganon drew his own sword. Link's knuckles were turning white he was gripping the sword so tightly. Link had never felt this kind of rage before, but he knew exactly how to get rid of it. As he stood there waiting for Ganon to make a move, the Master Sword began to glow.


	18. Chapter 17

The combined Hylian and Gerudo archers were vigilantly keeping watch from their posts on the cliffs overlooking the castle path and on top of the gate guarding the path. Their eyes were unwavering in their duty. They knew that the enemy could attack at any moment, and that the Wizzrobes could appear anywhere at any time. They were on a constant lookout, making sure that every part of the castle path in front of the gate was being watched by at least one pair of eyes. Each archer had an arrow already notched in their bows so that they could fire at a moments notice.

For the first time in many hours the night was quiet. The only sound was the crackling of the torches. There were no crickets chirping or grass ruffling from the scampering of small animals. The silence was not only unnatural, but also unnerving. The sounds of metal clashing and of cries of pain and death had for so long filled the air that without it the night seemed empty.

For most of the soldiers, this current lull in the battle was so far the worst part of the war. Before the war even began they all knew the battle would begin at dusk, and when the battle did begin they all knew it was a life or death struggle. Right now though, all they could do was wait and wonder. They had no idea when the fighting would start up again, and they all knew that the next battle would be the last. Either they would win the upcoming conflict or they would all be killed. They all knew that there wouldn't be an in-between. Even though they were all getting their much deserved rest, the waiting was killing them. Anxiety was running high.

As the archers continued to watch the path, listening for any noise and watching for even the slightest movement, there was a bright flash in front of the gate. Over twenty Wizzrobes appeared out of thin air directly in front of the gate with their wands raised using the flash they created as cover. The archers standing watch on top of the gate as well as those closest to the flash were temporarily blinded, but knowing that they were under attack let loose their arrows. Those who weren't blinded fired their arrows directly at the Wizzrobes and readied another arrow as fast as they could for a second attack.

The arrows hit their marks killing about fifteen of the Wizzrobes, but not before they let loose their attack. The gate exploded in a giant eruption of fire, metal, and stone sending debris all over. The archers standing on top of the gate were all killed as were half of the knights armed with pikes standing watch behind the gate. The other knights were just blown into the wall behind them having the wind knocked out of them. With their job completed, the few remaining Wizzrobes disappeared.

Everyone was now on alert. With the gate destroyed there was no longer any defense against the enemy. They all knew that the enemy was now on its way to finish this. While the archers stood their ground waiting to weaken the enemy force as much as they could before running out of arrows, everyone else gathered their gear and got into battle formations.

It wasn't long before the archers saw the first of the enemy forces marching out of Hyrule Market straight toward them. They soon noticed though that they weren't the same soldiers that they had been fighting all this time. The enemy soldiers were all clad in heavy blue armor which made them nearly invisible in the darkness. Had Hyrule Market not been ablaze, they would've never seen the enemy coming. The enemy soldiers were carrying large, blue kite shields in their left hands and long, wicked looking swords in their right hands. It was now the Darknuts turn to fight.

The Darknuts were marching up the castle path in 5 columns standing shoulder to shoulder. The columns were in straight lines and continued all the way back into Hyrule Market were they continued to pour out of. Just the look of these guys instilled a sense of fear and dread into all the archers who laid eyes upon them. Knowing that this was it though, they all quickly recovered and fired their arrows at the oncoming Darknuts.

Volley after volley of arrows flew at the Darknuts, but not one Darknut was killed. The arrows broke or bounced harmlessly off of the Darknuts' armor, not even leaving a lowly scratch. The archers tried aiming for known weaknesses in full body armor such as under the arms and at the neck, but still the arrows had no effect. The Darknuts just marched on unopposed. The archers were at a loss of what to do. Knowing that they were doing nothing where they were, the archers reluctantly dropped their bows and retreated back to the main army.

The main army was currently standing directly in front of Hyrule Castle and facing the castle path. The main army was now one big mass of all four armies. In the center stood the Hylians. The Gerudo made up the left flank, and the Gorons made up the right flank. The Zoras, both because they were the smallest group and because they could fire their fins at the enemy, were standing behind the other three armies as the rear flank. Standing in front of all of them though, was King Hyrule.

Seeing that the enemy had not yet reached them yet, King Hyrule turned to take one last look at his soldiers. He could see the fear that was in all of their eyes, the same fear that was within his own heart. He knew that this was it, that they were now sending their power hitters to finish them off for good. King Hyrule wasn't going to make it that easy for them though. Turning around fully now so that he faced the army King Hyrule drew his sword and raised it in the air.

"Brothers and sisters in arms," King Hyrule declared in a calm, stern voice to the Hylians, Gorons, Zoras, and even the Gerudo, "all that we have fought for has culminated to this moment. This is the end of the line. You have all fought hard to protect Hyrule, but your duty is not yet finished. Hyrule is still on the verge of complete destruction, but we still stand in the way. For the first time in history all of Hyrule is united under one banner. Our actions will determine the fate of Hyrule. Don't get me wrong, the upcoming fight will be the most difficult any of us have ever been in, but it will also be the deciding factor. One way or another, either we will be wiped out or they will. If this is to be our end though, then we shall make it such an end as to be worthy of remembrance!"

King Hyrule's final words rang through the air, filling all the soldiers with a sense of hope and purpose. With a roaring cheer the soldiers drew their swords and readied their shields. Turning back toward the castle path, King Hyrule saw the first of the Darknuts coming up the hill. The sight of them revived the fear that the king had only just seconds ago repressed, but he didn't let on. He had just motivated his troops, and if he were to show fear now that motivation would disappear. Staring at the Darknuts though, King Hyrule knew that they were all dead unless Link could make the wish upon the Triforce.

With the Darknuts now coming off the path and stepping upon the field, King Hyrule yells at the top of his lungs and charges straight at the enemy. The Hylians, Gerudo, Gorons, and Zoras followed right after letting out battle cries of their own. The Darknuts just stood their ground. Without hesitation the Hyrulian Army slammed into the awaiting Darknuts with swords glaring and teeth flashing. The Hyrulian Army was ready to fight to the bitter end.

The Hyrulian Army attacked with a fierceness that they didn't even know they had. They slashed and hacked away with their swords, charged right into the Darknuts tackling them to the ground, and risked life and limb to do whatever it took to kill the enemy. Unfortunately, the Hyrulian Army was met with as much success as the archers had. Their swords were rendered useless against the Darknuts armor. Only the Gorons were having success at killing the Darknuts. With their immense strength they were able to punch right through the Darknuts armor just as Gerik had done with the Megaton Hammer.

With the initial attack a nearly complete failure, it was now time for the Darknuts to strike back. Silent though they were, they attacked with deadly efficiency. The Darknuts were easily able to pierce the armor of their enemies with their swords and brute force. Not even the Gorons, whose bodies had been able to repel the Arcanites' attacks, could resist the cold steel of the Darknuts' blades. Once again the night was filled with the clashing of metal and the many cries of pain, agony, and death.

Inside the castle all the sounds of the battle outside could be heard. The retainers just tried to ignore it and care for the wounded the best they could. For Navi though, ignoring it was a little harder. She was sitting in a chair next to Zelda's bed watching over Zelda just as she had promised. She wanted nothing more than to be out there fighting, but she had made a promise. Unable to contain her curiosity though, she got up out of the chair and went over to Zelda's window.

Navi looked out the window at the slaughter taking place down below. The instant she saw that the Darknuts were fighting she froze. It wasn't because of fear though, but because of hopelessness. She knew that no matter what, the Hyrulian Army was no match for the Darknuts. A powerful debate began within her head as to whether she should keep her promise and stay in the castle or go down and join in the fight. A tear falling down her face, Navi whispered "sorry Gerik" before grabbing her sword and making her way out of the castle and to the battle. As fatigued and weak as she was, Navi knew she wouldn't make much of a difference. She just couldn't stay in the castle though while others died in her place.

Navi wasn't the only one who couldn't ignore the sounds of battle. After making sure her father was alright and resting comfortably, Malon grabbed her bow and a fresh quiver of arrows and walked out onto one of the castle's balconies. Seeing that the enemy was heavily armored though, Malon knew that this wasn't going to be easy. What made things even worse was the fact that the Darknuts and Hyrulian Army were all intermingled. There were no longer any formations or any sense of order. The battle seemed to have been reduced to a life-or-death brawl.

Notching an arrow and carefully aiming, Malon let loose and watched as the arrow shattered upon hitting one of the Darknuts. Not letting that stop her, she fired another arrow, this time aiming for under the arms. Once again the attack was ineffective. Fearing that aiming for the neck would result in the same thing, Malon just stood there watching for any weakness that she could capitalize on. It then hit her, a place on the armor that no one could cover up. The problem was that it would be an extremely difficult shot in already difficult circumstances.

Notching her third arrow, Malon took careful aim. She spotted a lone Darknut cut off from the main battle and determined him to be the best target. Aiming as quickly and as carefully as she could, Malon fired the arrow. The arrow flew straight on course and right through the visor of the Darknut through his eye and finally stopping somewhere midbrain. At first the Darknut just stood there motionless seemingly unaffected, but then he fell to his knees and then flat on his face.

Malon, extremely satisfied that her plan had worked, notched another arrow in her bow and searched for another target. As she looked around she saw another warrior run out of the castle and head straight for the battle, the golden armor the warrior was wearing glistening in the torch light. Malon watched as the warrior readied her sword and charged full force into the battle with the same ferocity as the rest of the Hyrulian Army. Malon knew that herself and one other warrior wouldn't make much of a difference, but now that she knew how to kill the enemy it would at least make things a little more even.

* * *

The Master Sword glowing almost as bright as the Triforce in the background now, Link charged forward in a fit of extreme rage yelling at the top of his lungs. Link was filled with anger and hatred the likes of which he had never felt before. Never before had he ever felt the urge to kill except in self-defense or for the safety of Hyrule and his friends. This was different though. He wanted Ganon dead, and more importantly he wanted to be the one to kill him. Link wanted to spill Ganon's blood upon the ground and look into his eyes as his life slipped away. 

Ganon actually grew a little fearful as he watched Link charge at him. Link's face was contorted into an expression of pure rage and looking into his eyes was like looking into the very core of hell itself. Ganon had never seen Link, or anyone for that matter, as angry as he was. Ganon's fear quickly disappeared though when he realized that he could turn Link's rage into an advantage. Ganon waited for Link to get right up to him, and just as Link took a swing Ganon teleported out of danger.

Ganon teleported directly behind Link and took a swing of his own. Link, somehow, immediately turned around when Ganon had teleported away and was ready for him. Link blocked Ganon's attack, stunning Ganon, and took another swing. Ganon teleported out of danger once again and to Link's left. Just as before though, Link was ready for him. He blocked again and took another swing. Ganon teleported again, but this time reappeared on top of a nearby boulder out of Link's reach.

Link turned to face Ganon and waited. He didn't know how he was able to predict Ganon's movements when he teleported, but he didn't care at the moment either. It was almost as if the Master Sword was guiding him. Smiling malevolently, Link ran forward and flipped up onto the boulder Ganon was standing on, bringing his sword down to strike Ganon as he landed. Ganon teleported out of danger though, but Link had expected this and quickly kicked off the boulder in the direction Ganon had teleported to. Ganon didn't realize what Link had done, so when he finally reappeared he had only a second to raise his sword and block Link's attack.

Ganon was pushed backward by the impact of the hit, but he didn't have any time to recover. Upon landing on his feet Link quickly followed up his attack by taking swing after swing at Ganon. Ganon was barely able to block one swing before another came straight at him. Ganon was being forced backward with every swing Link took, and in only a few more swings he would be trapped against the side of the mountain. Ganon couldn't even teleport away because with the way Link was swinging Ganon would be hit before fully disappearing.

Deciding to try something desperate, Ganon released his left hand from his sword and reached behind his back. He was at an extreme disadvantage now that he was blocking with only one hand, but with his left hand held behind him he started to gather energy. Ganon created an attack big enough to buy him the time he needed and thrust his hand into Link's chest, the energy he had been gathering slamming into Link and sending him flying several feet away. Ganon watched in enjoyment as Link landed flat on his face.

Now free to do what he wanted, Ganon created a dark energy ball in his hand. Ganon was shocked though to find that Link got up immediately upon hitting the ground. He had thought for sure his attack would've knocked him senseless for at least half a minute. Knowing he couldn't waste any time Ganon tossed the energy ball and quickly created another. Link just stood there as the attack came straight at him. Just as it was about to hit Link raised his sword to block the attack. Upon hitting the sword the energy ball dissipated and fizzled out. Ganon fired the other energy ball he had been creating only to be met with the same success.

Ganon now just stood there unsure of what to do. As he did that, Link swung the Master Sword vertically in front of him. In the wake of the swing a blast was created that was sent straight in Ganon's direction. Now worrying one bit, Ganon put up a barrier to deflect the attack. Unfortunately for Ganon, the blast cut right through the barrier as if it wasn't even there and hit Ganon square in the chest. Ganon keeled over in immense pain, unable to believe that his barrier was ineffective.

Link swung the Master Sword again and again, sending blast after blast in Ganon's direction. One by one the attacks connected, each one sending immense pain throughout Ganon's body. Ganon tried putting up a stronger barrier, but no matter how strong he made it the blasts kept going through. Ganon also tried blocking with his sword, but for some reason the blasts went right through his sword as well. Ganon just knelt there, pain coursing throughout his body. As much as he didn't want to admit it, this was it for him. Ganon now closed his eyes and awaited the next few blasts that would finish him off, but they never came.

Opening his eyes again, Ganon turned to see Link kneeling down on the ground as well using the Master Sword to steady himself. He was panting heavily and there was sweat running down his face. At first not understanding, it soon hit Ganon what had happened and he smiled. The pain in his body slowly going away, Ganon shakily stood up.

"You fool!" Ganon laughed. "It looks like in order to use that attack you need magic, and apparently you've run out. You've also weakened yourself. Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll kill you now."

"Think again Ganon," Link stated as he stood up and readied the Master Sword. "Even if I have to die in the process, you will be the one to lose. I am going to kill you. Now stop talking and bring it already!"

Even though Ganon knew that his magic, barrier, and teleportation were all useless, he could still take out Link hand-to-hand. Now that Link no longer had the momentum from his rage, Ganon could easily overpower Link with his strength and skill. Readying his own sword, both Link and Ganon charged straight at each other. Ganon attacked first, taking a horizontal swing at Link's chest. Link back flipped out of the way, and then upon landing quickly flipped back toward Ganon bringing his sword down with all his might.

Ganon blocked the attack, and pushed Link off of him. He then ran forward, but this time it was Link who took the swing. Link did an underhand vertical swing that Ganon had to sidestep to avoid, but that wasn't Link's true attack. Link knew he would sidestep and had a fist waiting for Ganon when he did so. Link's fist connected with Ganon's face, but before he could capitalize Ganon began to swing his sword wildly to prevent Link from getting the upper hand. Unable to find an opening, Link stood back and waited.

Getting the feeling back in his nose, Ganon glared at Link before rushing him again. Ganon quickly swung his sword as many times as he could, causing Link to go on the defensive just as he had made Ganon do before. Link blocked the attacks with relative ease, which made him wonder what exactly Ganon was planning. Ganon's swings were sloppy and underpowered. Even if one did connect, it would've given Link nothing more than a scratch. Deciding to act before Ganon unleashed his real attack, Link allowed himself to be slashed so that he could thrust the Master Sword into Ganon's chest. Ganon noticed this surprise move last minute and stepped back, but not before the tip of the Master Sword was thrust inside him.

Both Link and Ganon were now bleeding, but Ganon's wound was far worse. Though only the tip of the Master Sword had entered his body, Ganon felt as if he had been stabbed fully by a red hot poker. Link meanwhile had minor discomfort on his left shoulder where he had taken the hit, but it wasn't much worse than a paper cut. Link watched Ganon writhe in pain, but Ganon didn't let his guard down for even a second. He fought through the pain and prepared for his next attack. Despite knowing better, Link was enjoying watching Ganon writhe in pain. It was almost invigorating him.

Ganon was becoming enraged himself now, but he was controlling it. He didn't want his rage to cloud his judgement like it was doing to Link. As Ganon knelt there, he couldn't believe how expertly Link was able to wield the Master Sword. In their fight seven years ago Link wasn't able to perform any of the tricks he was now, and the Master Sword didn't sting as much when it had slashed him. Ganon wasn't worried though. He hadn't expected Link to take a sacrificial hit just to attack him, but nonetheless he still had the upper hand. His plan was coming together nicely.

The pain finally subsiding a little, Ganon stood up and charged Link. Link dug his feet firmly into the ground and readied the Master Sword. Ganon came at Link with full force, bringing his sword down with all his might. Link blocked the attack, being pushed back slightly by the impact, and the two swords became locked together. It was now a show of strength, both Link and Ganon pushing against their swords with all their might trying to push the other back. In truth though, Ganon was only using half his strength while Link was giving it all he had.

With Link's arms beginning to shake from the stress, Ganon smiled and in an abrupt move released his sword from the embrace. Link still giving it all he had, he fell forward from the force he was exerting once Ganon's sword was released. Before he could fall flat on his face, Ganon punched Link hard in his chest sending him back the other way. Link let out a gasp of pain when he was punched that stayed until he fell flat on his back. With the wind knocked out of him, Link could only squirm about on the ground.

With a smile still on his face, Ganon picked Link up by the front of his tunic and brought his face right up to his own. Looking at the blank look of Link's face, Ganon tossed him with all his might into the side of the nearby boulder. Link slammed into the boulder and screamed out in pain. Before he even hit the ground though, Ganon teleported right up to him, kneed him hard in the gut, and as Link flew up into the air slightly from the impact, Ganon elbowed him hard in the back. Link then slammed hard face first into the ground.

Ganon didn't even bother to give Link a chance to get up himself. He grabbed the back of Link's head and picked his head up. Link's face was covered in dirt, and he was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. His eyes were half closed, and as Ganon stared in delight Link spit dirt out of his mouth. Satisfied with what he saw, Ganon slammed Link's face down hard back into the ground. Proceeding to kick Link several times in his side, Ganon then grabbed Link by the throat and lifted him up off the ground when he had kicked him onto his back.

"So much for the great Hero of Time," mocked Ganon as he began chocking the life out of Link and watching his face become lifeless. "Even if you're going to die in the process, you'll be the one to kill me huh? I'll admit you had me going there for awhile, and had I not stolen my father's powers I probably would've lost, but that's not the case. I've always been one step ahead of you Link, so what made you think anything would be different this time around? Hyrule is mine! Aaahhhhhhh, son of a. . ."

Ganon felt a sharp stabbing pain in his back and tossed Link to the ground. Reaching behind him, he removed a bloody double edged sword from his lower back. Staring in wonderment at the weapon, he quickly turned around to see who his attacker was and was struck dumb at the sight of Gerik's bloody, battered, and broken body standing there. Gerik was panting very slowly and heavily as he stood heavily on his left leg and was holding his broken right arm with his left hand. Gerik's expression was unreadable from all the blood and dirt covering his face, and Gerik was only staring at Ganon with a half opened left eye since his right eye was swollen shut. Blood was pouring out of every one of his numerous wounds and the ground underneath him was already soaked from the blood.

"I don't know how you're still alive," spat Ganon as he tossed Gerik's sword away, "but you should've stayed down. This time I'll make sure I finish the job and rid this world of your pathetic race once and for all."

Ganon tightened his grip upon his sword and rushed forward. Gerik saw him coming, but he couldn't do anything about it. He had used what little strength his body had left to save Link. He had nothing left to give. He knew that this was it for him, yet he accepted his death with tremendous bravery. Gerik straightened himself up as much as he could and closed his left eye as his thoughts drifted to Navi. As Gerik stood his ground, he soon felt the sharp, cold steel of Ganon's sword being thrust through his heart, and then nothing. Gerik's body immediately went limp; his last thought being of the first time he had ever laid eyes on Navi.

Link watched in horror as Ganon removed his sword from Gerik's limp and lifeless body causing it to collapse upon the ground like a sack of potatoes. While Ganon was busy laughing at his recent kill, Link felt the same rage from before swell up within him again. Willing his body to move, Link slowly stood up off the ground. With Ganon's back still toward him, Link began looking around frantically for the Master Sword. Ganon had tossed him all over the place that the sword could've been anywhere. If it had enough momentum when it was knocked from Link's hands it could even fallen off the mountain. Blocking that thought out of his head for the moment, Link quickly surveyed the area.

"One down and one to go," declared Ganon as he turned around to find Link standing once again. "What? Why won't you people just stay down?"

Ganon quickly ran toward Link, but Link heard him running and was able to sidestep Ganon's attack. With no sword in hand Link was at an extreme disadvantage. He had to stop his search for the Master Sword since he needed to keep both eyes on Ganon and just hope that he would come across it. Ganon swung his sword again and Link ducked, but Ganon stopped midswing and quickly brought his sword down. Link saw this surprise move and immediately performed a leg sweep to knock Ganon off balance. Ganon wasn't prepared for this and was knocked clean off his feet.

Knowing he had only a moment or two to spare, Link quickly back flipped several times to put some distance between Ganon and himself before Ganon could get back on his feet. As he waited for Ganon to make his next move, something told Link to look to his left. He did so and saw the Master Sword laying there upon the ground. Ganon saw this also and quickly fired an energy attack to knock the sword out of Link's reach. Link quickly jumped for the blade and managed to grab hold of the Master Sword's hilt just as the attack hit the sword. The back of Link's hand was scorched slightly from the attack, but he held onto the sword.

Ganon was furious. Thanks to Gerik Ganon had lost the momentum he had gained, and Link was once again in possession of the Master Sword. It also seemed that his killing of Gerik fueled that fires of rage in Link once again. Ganon was now going to have to tire Link out again before attempting to finish him off. Ganon then glanced over and saw the Triforce hovering there, waiting for the one who would make their wish upon it. It then occurred to him that he didn't have to kill Link first. If he could just slow him down, then Ganon could make his wish and nobody in the entire universe could stop him.

As Ganon pondered this, Link rushed forward with his old friend back in his hands. Ganon heard him coming and blocked Link's attacks one after another. Link was attacking with the same fury he was earlier, but something was different. Link's attacks were slower, and seemed to be more calculated. Ganon soon realized that Link wasn't fighting with the same blind rage he was earlier, yet he was using his rage to fuel his attacks. Tiring Link out wouldn't work this time, so Ganon had no choice but to just go full force.

Ganon blocked another of Link's swings and immediately teleported out of Link's reach. Ganon reappeared with his back toward Link, but when he turned around to face the charging Link he tossed several magic attacks at Link. Link blocked the one that was headed directly to him with his sword, but the remaining attacks slammed into the ground at Link's feet kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. Link quickly shielded his eyes, and when the dust had settled back down seconds later he saw Ganon becoming enshrouded in a large black aura.

It didn't take long for Ganon to become completely enshrouded, after which the aura became a vacuum. It wasn't a strong vacuum, but it was able to disrupt the air around Ganon and suck toward it tons of dust and small loose rocks and pebbles. Staring at this menacing aura, Link knew that something big was up. For the aura to be drawing in energy like that, it could only mean that this attack was going to be a devastating one. Unfortunately, Link had never seen this type of attack before and wasn't sure of what to do. Link just stood there staring at the black aura with the Master Sword held tightly in his hands waiting for Ganon to make his move.

The vacuum around the aura soon stopped, and then the aura began to expand. With an ear-splitting pop, the aura exploded into hundreds of the same dark energy balls Ganon had been making throughout the battle. Link watched in shock as all the attacks came straight for him. He knew that he couldn't possible block them all, so he began to run for his life as the lead attacks came crashing down around him. As Link ran for his life the dark energy balls slammed into the ground in his wake kicking up tons of dust, rock, and other debris.

Though initially successful, the energy balls soon overtook him and cut off his escape. Stuck in one spot, Link just raised his sword in front of him and prepared for the worst as dozens of the dark energy balls came crashing down into him leaving a large cloud of dust in its wake. Ganon had been watching and laughing at Link's attempt to escape his attack and was now watching the cloud of dust to see the result. It took over a minute for the dust to settle just enough for anyone to see through it, and Ganon was happy at what he saw.

Link was laying face down on the ground, smoke rising off of his back. His tunic was now all in tatters, and his back was covered in cuts, bruises and burns. Ganon could see him still breathing, but for the time being he was out of the fight. With as many hits as Link took he should have died, but Ganon figured that the Master Sword, which was still clutched in Link's left hand unfortunately, had deflected most of the impact. Ganon now had a choice; either to kill Link or go make his wish upon the Triforce.

Not wanting to take any chances of someone interfering in his attempt to kill Link like the last time, Ganon just decided to make his wish now and kill Link later. Ganon sheathed his sword and then walked over toward the Triforce. As he walked toward it he basked in its glow. He had only laid eyes upon it once before, and soon after laying eyes upon it the Triforce broke apart. Now it was right in front of him, complete, and waiting for him to place his hand upon it and make his wish. Slowly, Ganon moved his right hand toward the Triforce savoring every second.

"Finally, ultimate power is within my grasp," beamed Ganon as he placed his hand upon the smooth surface of the Triforce. "I've waited for this moment for a very long time. Goddesses of the Triforce; hear that which I desire! I want aaahhhhhhh!"

Following an intense pain searing its way throughout his body, Ganon looked down at the blood spouting stump where his right hand used to be. Ganon's eyes were wide with shock as he looked down upon the ground and saw his bloody hand laying there. Ganon turned to his right and saw the Master Sword, with fresh blood upon it, sticking out of the ground and immediately turned to face Link. He was still on the ground, but Link's head was raised and looking at Ganon through bleary eyes and his left arm was extended out in front of him. Rage unlike anything he had felt before began to swell up within Ganon as he walked over to Link.

"You and your friends have interfered with my plans for the last time!" Ganon yelled as he walked, his bloody stump sealing itself by Ganon's magic. "I was going to let you live and make you my slave, but now you're dead! I will kill you and make my wish upon the Triforce once and for all."

As Ganon neared Link he drew his sword back out of its sheath with his left hand. Link knew that he was completely defenseless. The Master Sword was laying clear across the battlefield, and Link didn't have anything else to defend himself with. After the last attack Ganon had hit him with, he barely had enough strength to move, so dodging him was out of the question. He could maybe dodge once or twice, but after that he was done for.

As Ganon drew ever closer, Link reached out his left arm as far as he could almost as if he was trying to summon the Master Sword to him. He knew it was a futile attempt at best, but he didn't really have much choice in the matter. As Ganon finally reached Link and stood over him, Link noticed that the Master Sword was beginning to shake. Realizing that it was actually working, Link urged the Master Sword to come to him with all he had. As Ganon lifted his sword above Link and prepared to bring it down full force, the Master Sword flew out of the ground and into Link's awaiting hand. Without hesitation Link drove the Master Sword down into Ganon's foot.

Ganon screamed out in pain and dropped his sword. Even though the sword was only in his foot, Ganon's entire body felt like it was on fire. He was in so much pain that he could hardly move. Realizing that Link wasn't going to remove the blade himself, Ganon reached down and tried to grab the hilt of the Master Sword, but upon touching it Ganon's hand began to burn as if it had come in contact with acid. Ganon immediately let go of the sword and looked down at his now smoking and blistering hand. Ganon was stuck where he was until Link removed the sword.

Seeing the predicament Ganon was in though, Link had no intentions of removing the sword. Now that Ganon was stuck, Link could go and make his wish upon the Triforce. Link could make any wish he wanted; even bring someone back from the dead. Even though Link had the advantage at the moment, he still knew that he was no match for Ganon. Link's body was battered and bruised, and sooner or later Ganon would escape the grip of the Master Sword; even if Ganon had to hack off his own foot to do so, of which Link didn't think would be that far-fetched for Ganon. Link knew that he was going to need help, and he knew exactly where to get it.

Turning his head to look at Link, Ganon saw where Link was headed and began to worry. He couldn't allow Link to make a wish upon the Triforce. Ganon tried pulling his foot free, but it was to no avail. The Triforce was jammed down deep into the ground, so there was no way Ganon could wiggle the sword free from the ground. Becoming desperate, Ganon started forming a fireball in his hand. He was going to have to blow the Master Sword out of the ground.

The Triforce almost within reach, Link began limping as fast as he could to get there. As he did so, he could see Gerik's lifeless body laying on the ground not too far away. It was hard for Link to look at the body, but he couldn't turn away. As Link finally limped up next to the Triforce, Ganon fired his fireball at the ground and blew up the ground around his foot releasing the Master Sword from the ground and his foot from the Master Sword. Ganon fell to the ground after being released, black smoke rising off of his body. Link now reached out his hand and touched the Triforce, taking one last look at Gerik's body before turning to face the Triforce.

"Please forgive me Gerik," Link whispered before looking up into the sky above the Triforce. "Goddesses, please hear me! I wish for the six Sages of Hyrule to be revived with their full powers returned to them!"

"Noooooooo!" screamed Ganon as he rushed forward in a burst of speed that could rival Gerik and tackled Link several feet away from him.

Ganon quickly reached out for the Triforce hoping that Link's wish wasn't granted, but just as he was about to touch it the Triforce started floating up into the air. When it was far out of Ganon's reach, the three pieces of the Triforce split and launched in different directions into the night sky leaving a golden trail of light in their wake. Furious, Ganon gripped his sword tightly ignoring the searing pain of gripping something tightly in his burned and blistered hand and stormed over toward Link. Link was still on the ground after being tackled, and as he watched Ganon making his way toward him knew that this was finally it. Even though Link was about to die, he was glad that he had at least prevented Ganon from making his wish.

Standing over Link, Ganon raised his sword directly over Link's head. After what Link had just done, Ganon would've preferred to hold Link up with one hand and stab him in the gut with the other and watch him slowly bleed to death, but seeing as how Link had cut off his other hand that was impossible. Ganon was just going to have to settle for Link's quick end. Using all his might, Ganon brought his sword down. Link kept his eyes wide open through this, wanting to accept his death with both eyes open. Having only a few millimeters left before slamming down into Link's face, Ganon's sword stopped dead in its tracks.

Link was stunned by this, but soon realized that this wasn't Ganon's decision when he noticed that neither Ganon nor his sword was moving an inch. He then noticed that there was a faint blue glow surrounding Ganon. Sliding out from underneath Ganon's frozen sword and standing up, Link saw that Ganon could only move his eyes, of which Ganon was darting back and forth trying to uncover what had happened to him. Link then turned to look behind Ganon and saw the six Sages of Hyrule, all alive and with full powers apparently, standing there. Link's tired and battered face lit up with a smile at their sight.

"Link, thank you," said Rauru. "It's good to see you again."

"I never doubted that you would save us brother Link," shouted Darunia joyfully. "Now, together we shall destroy Ganon."

"No!" commanded Link. "You guys go down and help the others. Ganon is mine. It is my job to rid the world of his evil once and for all. This is something that I must do alone. Besides, the others need your help a lot more than I do."

"At least allow us to help you in some way," said Ruto concernedly. "Allow us to heal you, or take away the powers that Ganon stole from his father."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Ganon believes that he is unbeatable with his new found power, but he's wrong. I want him to be at his peak so that when I kill him there will be no doubt who is the better warrior. Now go! The others need your help. My victory here will mean nothing if everyone else is killed."

Reluctantly complying to Link's wishes, the Sages each nodded to Link one by one in acknowledgment of his wishes and then disappeared. Link watched each one of them as they did this, but as he did so he was also making his way over to where the Master Sword was laying on the ground. Rauru, the last Sage to leave, disappeared just as Link reached down and picked up the Master Sword. Once Rauru's body was fully gone, the blue glow around Ganon vanished. With Ganon's paralysis gone, Ganon's sword plunged down into the ground and Ganon almost fell forward. Yanking his sword from the ground violently, Ganon turned to find Link standing there holding the Master Sword out in front of him and waiting.

"You really are a fool Link," Ganon said as he got into a battle pose. "You should have accepted the Sages help when you could. You are weak, tired, and beaten while I still have plenty of strength left. Now you shall die for your ignorance."

"I don't think so Ganon," Link replied confidently. "Before I made my wish upon the Triforce I would've believed that, but no longer. The Master Sword did more damage to you then I would've ever thought possible. You are just as weakened and drained as I am, only you are trying to hide it while I am not. This is it Ganon. There's no more Triforce to distract us and no one left to interfere. It's just you and me. The fate of Hyrule will be decided here and now. Ganon! Your end is now!"

* * *

The battle between the Hyrulian Army and the Darknuts was a complete slaughter. In the short amount of time they had been fighting, the Darknuts had already decimated half of the Hyrulian Army and left dozens more seriously wounded. Even Navi had become wounded in the battle suffering a very nasty gash on her side which was bleeding profusely. Despite being told to retreat to the castle by many of her fellow warriors, and even King Hyrule, Navi continued to fight the Darknuts with everything she had. Meanwhile, the Darknuts hadn't even lost a hundred soldiers yet. 

The fence that surrounded the castle moat had long been knocked down, and the Darknuts had pushed the Hyrulian Army all the way back to the moat itself. Several people had actually been knocked into the moat. The only place left to retreat to was within the castle itself, but to have to fight the Darknuts one on one within tight corridors was possibly the worst scenario anyone could think of. At least out in the field they could tackle the Darknuts groups at a time and had plenty of room to evade them.

King Hyrule was backed into a corner. If he ordered them to retreat to the castle they would be slaughtered, but if they stayed out in the field they would still be slaughtered. Either way they were doomed. Their only hope was Link, but there was no way of knowing what was happening on Death Mountain. As he pondered what to do, King Hyrule looked out upon the blood stained ground. About to give up all hope, King Hyrule turned toward the sky and saw the remains of a slowly fading golden trail of light. Wondering where the light had come from and why he hadn't noticed it before, King Hyrule jumped in surprise when three figures appeared out of thin air floating in the night sky. It was Rauru, Darunia, and Impa.

The three Sages just stood there floating in the sky and looking down upon the battle. They could not believe the bloodbath that was below them, and they could only assume that it was much worse inside Hyrule Market and out upon Hyrule Field. Looking at one another in turn, the three sages nodded to each other and then flew down toward the ground. Rauru flew over the entire battlefield casting a strong healing aura upon all of the Hyrulian warriors. While not relieving their fatigue or blood loss, his aura did seal up their wounds and mend anything that was broken. After healing those outside of the castle, Rauru headed inside the castle to heal the wounded within.

Darunia and Impa meanwhile headed straight for the Darknut forces. With a wave of their hands, the nearly impenetrable armor of the Darknuts broke and fell off of the Darknut warriors. In only a couple of seconds each and every Darknut lost every piece of armor they were wearing. The only defense they had now was their sword in one hand and their shield in the other, at least for those Darknuts who hadn't thrown it away during the fighting. With their armor now nothing more than broken metal upon the ground, the Darknuts began a hasty retreat.

"Now's our chance!" screamed King Hyrule. "Push forward!"

The Hyrulian Army, now feeling rejuvenated by this sudden turn of events, charged forward with the same ferocity that they had when they first charged the Darknuts. The only difference this time though was that they knew they could win. The Darknuts, knowing that they were nothing more than sitting ducks, just barely tried to fight back. They were more concerned with getting the hell out of there. The ferocity with which the Hyrulian Army was attacking them with was another reason for their not fighting back.

The battle had once again become nothing more than a slaughter, but this time it was the enemy that was being slaughtered. Darknuts were falling groups at a time, and the Hyrulian army showed no signs of letting up their attack. The Darknuts only hope now was to make it to the fiery inferno of Hyrule Market where at least one battalion of their fellow Arcanite warriors waited. They also hoped that the raging fires would narrow the field of battle and limit their losses as they retreated.

Their hope was not to come to fruition as Saria and Nabooru appeared in the sky over Hyrule Market. Together, they waved their hands over Hyrule Market and the giant, burning flames that consumed nearly all of Hyrule Market vanished in a puff of smoke. The Arcanites waiting inside Hyrule Market for news of their victory were shocked by the sudden disappearance of the fires. They were so shocked by the disappearance of the fires and at Saria and Nabooru floating up in the sky above them that the Arcanites didn't even notice the retreating Darknuts at first.

By the time the Arcanites realized that the Darknuts were armor-less and retreating, the Hyrulian Army had invaded Hyrule Market and began to lay out Arcanite bodies right next to their fellow Darknuts. The bewildered Arcanites tried to fight back and stop the Hyrulian Army's advance, but it was too late. The Hyrulian Army had the element of surprise on their side and had already killed most of the Arcanites inside Hyrule Market before they knew what had hit them. Realizing that they couldn't turn the Hyrulian Army's assault, they too turned tail and began running for their lives.

The main force of the Arcanites as well as the remaining Wizzrobes were all waiting out in Hyrule Field. Most of them were just sitting down on the rain and blood soaked ground waiting. They knew that since the Darknuts were fighting that this war would be over soon with them as the victors. The sound of nearby screams and yells caught their attention however, and most of them got up off the ground and looked over toward Hyrule Market trying to determine what was going on. The first thing that they noticed was that Hyrule Market was dark; that all the fires were gone. The second thing they noticed was Ruto floating above the frozen river.

With a quick wave of her hand, the river returned to its once vibrant flowing self, freeing all the Zoras that were trapped within. With the sound of rushing water now filling the night air, the Arcanites and Wizzrobes quickly ran around like headless chickens trying to arm themselves. They were soon greeted by at least one hundred razor sharp fins coming straight at them. The Wizzrobes were targeted first, nearly wiping out every last one of them. The few Wizzrobes that survived disappeared and never came back. Hundreds of Arcanites fell to the deadly fins before they were finally able to organize themselves and defend against the attacks. By this time though, the Zoras started making their way out of the river and toward the awaiting Arcanites.

At this same time the Darknuts and Arcanites retreating from Hyrule Market appeared on the scene. The first few groups of them went plunging directly into the river not knowing that it was no longer frozen. They were quickly taken care of by the Zoras who remained in the river. The rest of the retreating troops used the rubble that filled the river to make their way across and onto Hyrule Field, but their advance was slowed considerably. Their progress was also hampered by the Zoras in the river shooting their fins at the retreating troops.

The retreating Darknuts and Arcanites were now in real trouble. With a narrow exit and Zora warriors ready to attack them once they were through in front of them and a fierce Hyrulian Army behind, the Darknuts and Arcanites were being trampled. Realizing that they would never make it out of the city without being attacked, the Darknuts and Arcanites tried to put up a meager resistance, but it was soon broken and trampled by the onslaught of the Hyrulian Army. In just this one spot Ganon's army suffered one of the biggest losses of life in only a few measly minutes.

Those who managed to escape Hyrule Market with their lives didn't even bother to try and help their fellow Arcanite warriors fighting out in Hyrule Field. They just ran past all the fighting and headed back toward the Kokiri Forest. The Arcanites that were actually fighting saw this cowardice and became disgusted. Upon seeing the large and angry Hyrulian Army emerging from Hyrule Market though, they realized why their fellow warriors were turning tail and running away. They realized that it wasn't cowardice, but that they had lost the war. Not wanting to suffer anymore losses, the remaining fighters dropped their swords and ran for their lives.

The Hyrulian Army, upon reaching Hyrule Field, didn't give chase. They were exhausted from fighting all night, and they knew that they had won anyway. As the entire Hyrulian Army stood upon Hyrule Field watching the tattered remains of Ganon's army run back toward the Kokiri Forest and possibly back to the black ships that had brought them here, cries, yells, and cheers of victory could be heard among the battle-worn warriors.

* * *

Death Mountain had become dark once again now that the Triforce was gone, but Ganon and Link fought each other as if the light had never disappeared. The two of them were fighting each other with a ferocity unlike either of them had known before. There was a fire in both their eyes as they both parried and countered attacked each others attacks. Both of them were giving it all they had; they weren't holding anything back this time. Neither of them had ever fought so hard in their lives. 

Link's and Ganon's attacks were becoming stronger and stronger with each hit. They were swinging their swords with so much strength now trying to finish each other off that the swords sparked upon impact. The echoing of their swords clashing reverberated in the air all around them. Their fight had almost become a slug match now, only they were using swords instead of fists. There were no more magic attacks; no more surprise maneuvers.

Summoning all the strength he had left, Link went on a major offensive. He started swinging his sword vertically at Ganon repeatedly, causing Ganon to raise his sword to block the attacks. With only one hand holding his sword though, each time Ganon blocked an attack his sword was lowered from its previous position. Finally, Link put everything he had left into one swing hoping to take Ganon out with it. Ganon blocked the attack, but his sword shattered upon impact sending Ganon falling to the ground. Ganon quickly tried to get up, but he only made it to his knees before Link placed the tip of the Master Sword against Ganon's neck.

"Go ahead then," Ganon taunted Link, "finish me off. Kill me if that is what you wish, but I don't think you have it in you. Sure you can kill some faceless nobody out on the battlefield, but you don't have the guts to look somebody in the face as you deliver the final blow. Go ahead, plunge that sword into my gut! Look into my eyes as I die! I know you want to!"

"Your words mean nothing to me Ganon," panted Link. "Your reign of terror is at an end. Though you do deserve a slow and painful death, I will not grant you one. If I reduce myself to that, then I am no better than you are. I will not let you have the last laugh. I win Ganon! You lose!"

As Link said those last words he swung the Master Sword and cut Ganon's head cleanly off of his body. Link watched as Ganon's head flew to the ground and began to roll. As his head rolled it began to disintegrate. Ganon's body, which had remained on its knees for a few seconds after having the head cut off, fell to the ground with a plop and started to disintegrate as well.

When Ganon's body was nothing more than dust upon the landscape, Link breathed out a sigh of relief and sheathed the Master Sword on his back. He then limped his way over to Gerik. Kneeling down next to his body, Link picked up Gerik's lifeless hand in his own. As he held it, several tears began to fall down his face. Sucking up his sorrow, Link got up and lifted Gerik's body onto his shoulders. As he prepared to make his way down Death Mountain with Gerik's body, Link turned toward the east and saw the first few rays of light beginning to peek over the horizon. A new day was about to dawn.


	19. Epilogue

The sun was now rising high into the morning sky casting its light out across the kingdom of Hyrule as if driving back the darkness that had reduced Hyrule to its very knees just hours ago. There was not a cloud in sight which allowed for the unobstructed view of the clear blue sky up above. The air was warm and comfortable, and unlike after most rain storms wasn't muggy. A slight breeze was blowing from the West which only added to the bliss that came with this new day. The birds were out and flying once again chirping as they flew overhead and the animals which had been in hiding came out of their holes to scamper across Hyrule Field once again. Hyrule was once again at peace.

This peace came with a hefty price however. Hyrule Field, which had once been a lush and verdant symbol of Hyrule's magnificence, wasn't even a shadow of its former self. The ground was muddy and dank from the rain. The once green grass was now stained red with blood. The bodies and body parts of several different races were strewn all over, several of which were being ravaged by scavenging animals. Broken arrows, spears, and pikes, splintered shields and shattered swords along with armor rusting in the numerous puddles littered the landscape as well.

Hyrule Market, which was once the bustling capital and symbol of power for Hyrule, was now nothing more than a couple broken timbers and ashes. The ground was scorched and was as black as coal from the soot. The charred remains of soldiers from both sides could be seen all around tangled with all the ash and few remaining timbers that hadn't completely burned away. The fountain in the middle of town lay broken, water no longer pouring out of its spout. The Temple of Time was nothing more than debris, the pedestal for the Master Sword being the only thing left. There was not one building left standing.

Hyrule Castle miraculously escaped unharmed, but the field in front of it was a different story. Just as with Hyrule Field, the ground was muddy, dank, and stained red with blood. The moat was no longer crystal clear and sparkling, but now a deep red of which wafted up the scent of death and decay. The hundreds of pieces of blue armor strewn about were the only welcoming sight in this giant necropolis for they represented the turning point in the war. Unfortunately, the majority of dead bodies littering the foreboding landscape were those of the Hyrulian Army.

Despite having fought the most terrible war in history all night with little rest, the few hundred surviving soldiers of the Hyrulian Army were still going without rest. They could have been resting had they wanted to, but not one of them felt right about resting while the dead bodies of their fellow comrades and friends were lying all over Hyrule rotting and decaying in the early morning sun while small animals scavenged their bodies. Even though it was technically an obligation, not one person felt that it truly was. They all felt that collecting the bodies of their fellow comrades for a proper burial was a show of respect and honor to all those who had fought and died for the safety, preservation, and future of Hyrule.

They weren't the only ones helping with the cleanup. With the coming of the rising sun and the sounds of war ceasing, the refugees hiding in Kakariko Village had come down to check out the damage and help if possible. Many of them upon laying eyes on the massacre and total disrespect for life before them grew sick, and several of them fainted. Those who could stomach the devastation and even some of those who wanted to help despite the queasiness in their stomachs just marched out onto Hyrule Field and began helping in whatever ways they could. Even small groups of Zoras and Gorons who hadn't participated in the fighting came out to help.

Even the Sages were helping out. They were using their powers to teleport the dead bodies of the Arcanites, Wizzrobes, Darknuts, and even the Lizalfos and Dinolfos into large piles that would later be unceremoniously burned. There was no one that felt any pity towards these invaders. They had invaded Hyrule for one purpose, and that was to raze Hyrule to the ground and build their own kingdom on top of the ashes. As far as everyone in Hyrule was concerned, the sooner the bodies of their enemies were disposed of the sooner things could get back to normal.

One tricky area that was proving difficult to claim the bodies from was the wall. The wall already had one collapsed portion, and the rest of it was hardly even standing. Big, deep cracks ran throughout the entire length of the wall, small pieces of the wall cracked off and fell every so often, and it was so smashed from all those boulder hits it took it didn't even look like a wall anymore. Everyone knew that the wall couldn't be saved, that it was just another casualty. The wall would have to be torn down and then rebuilt in all of its former glory.

To make sure that no more people died because of the wall, there were two Royal Guards standing watch over the only stairs left leading up to the top of the wall. In order to recover the dead bodies of so many brave Hylian warriors, only five people were allowed on top of the wall at a time. Once all the bodies had been removed, the wall would be closed off and the Royal Guards would make sure that no one went on the wall until the time it would be torn down and rebuilt.

Not all was a total loss however. Miraculously, and to the utter bewilderment of the survivors, there were actually small patches of Hyrule Field that were unharmed and completely untouched from the ravages of war. They were extremely welcome sights for the citizens of Hyrule for they represented what Hyrule Field had once been and what it would become again. They were signs that Hyrule would recover. Two such areas were the field in front of the stairs leading up to Kakariko Village and the bridge crossing Zora's River that connected the field to the rest of Hyrule Field. Sitting on the edge of that bridge and patiently awaiting the return of Link and Gerik was Princess Zelda.

Zelda had woken up less than an hour ago, and despite having had several hours of rest her body was still completely drained and totally exhausted. Her entire body was sore, and it pained her to move even a little bit. Zelda hadn't even recovered an ounce of her magic yet. Navi had filled Zelda in on everything that had happened after she passed out except for the whereabouts of Link and Gerik. For all anyone knew the fight between them and Ganon was still going on. Since Zelda was too weak to help out with the cleanup, she decided to sit and wait for Link and Gerik to return.

As Zelda sat there waiting, she looked around her at all the damage that had been caused. Fighting under the darkness of night had done much to hide all the death and damage that had occurred, but the light of day revealed all. Zelda was horrified at what she saw, and even more so by the fact that she had contributed her fair share. She could see all throughout Hyrule Field charred and blackened areas, some buried underneath countless warriors from both sides, and knew that they were the result of either one of hers or Navi's numerous attacks. Zelda doubted very much that Hyrule Field, or any of the areas destroyed during the war, would ever truly recover, but she had to keep the sense of hope alive.

Zelda was enjoying the cool breeze that wafted by every once and awhile, closing her eyes and letting the wind blow through her hair every time it happened. Whenever she closed her eyes the calming sounds of the river flowing by underneath her seemed to grow louder and everything else seemed to go silent. When her eyes were closed and the river was the only thing she could hear, Hyrule seemed to become the peaceful place it had always been and everything that had happened seemed nothing more than a bad dream. Once Zelda opened her eyes though, the reality of what happened came flooding back with a vengeance.

As the sun grew higher and higher into the sky, Zelda began to grow more and more worried about Link and Gerik. She had no idea when exactly the war had ended, but figured that it had to have been at least a couple hours ago. She very highly doubted that Link and Gerik were still fighting Ganon, but that was a better thought than of the two of them dead or dying. Looking down at her reflection in the cool, sparkling river down below helped to calm her somewhat. She was just glad that the river was continually flowing, otherwise it would've been just as bad as, or quite possibly much worse than, the castle moat.

Zelda now sat there swaying back and forth and humming a song as she stared into the river. Growing tired of looking into the river though, she turned her attention up toward the sky. A small flock of birds flew overhead, playing and chirping happily as they flew on by. It brought a small smile to Zelda's face, but the smile was soon replaced by disappointment when she saw that the sun had climbed even higher into the sky and no sign of Link or Gerik was to be found. Zelda had no idea how Navi wasn't growing increasingly worried about the guys' safety, especially considering her relationship with Gerik, but since Navi was actually doing something instead of just sitting there waiting Zelda was sure that had something to do with it.

Turning her attention to the stairs leading up to Kakariko Village, Zelda saw a figure making their way down the stairs. The figure was limping his way down the stairs very slowly, and he was carrying something on his back. There was no shirt on him, but rather torn and burned tatters of green cloth through which Zelda could see that his chest was cut, bruised, scarred, and burned. There was no hat or anything on his head, of which he kept lowered, but his blonde hair blowing in the breeze was a dead giveaway to Zelda who he was before he even stepped upon Hyrule Field. Unable to contain her excitement, Zelda jumped up and sprinted over to Link with arms held out wide open.

Upon setting foot on Hyrule Field, Link eased Gerik's body off of his sore back and laid it down upon the ground. When he looked up he saw Zelda running full speed toward him, and barely had any time to react before she leapt into his arms and embraced him in a hug. Link's sore body didn't take too kindly to the tight, yet warm and comforting embrace, but Link ignored it and hugged her back in return. Zelda rested her head against Link's chest, tears beginning to pour down her face. Link just rested his head upon hers as he held her.

"I'm so glad your okay," Zelda said with watery eyes and a big smile as she looked up into Link's face. "I was beginning to grow so I worried. I . . .I thought I. . ."

"Shhh, no more words," replied Link as he looked down into her eyes and placed a finger up to her lips. "It's all over now; no more worries."

"Wh. . .where's Gerik?" Zelda asked after a bit, looking around her as she asked. "How come he's not with you?"

Link didn't respond. He just stood there, his arms becoming loose and falling from around Zelda as she looked around. Zelda didn't notice this, nor did she look up at Link. She then noticed for the first time what Link had taken from his back and placed on the ground. Most of Gerik's body was hidden behind Link, but Zelda could see the back of his head and his broken arm sticking out. Her face instantly became solemn as she let go of Link and started stepping back from him with her gaze never leaving Gerik's body. Zelda's body began to shake when she saw that his body hadn't moved since she looked at it. Zelda placed both her hands over her mouth and then turned to look at Link.

As soon as her gaze fell upon Link, all he did was lower his head and turn away. He couldn't bear to look her in the eyes or tell her the words that he himself didn't want to accept, but just by turning his head away Zelda had her answer. Zelda screamed out and ran over to Gerik's body dropping to her knees right next to him. Tears were streaming down her face as she grabbed a hold of Gerik's cold and lifeless hand, but this time they were tears of sorrow rather than joy.

Link couldn't bear to see Zelda like this and walked over to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, and Zelda in turn stood up and grabbed hold of Link burying her face in his chest. Link embraced her and started rocking back and forth, but deep down he knew that there was nothing he could do. He knew that Gerik had been Zelda's oldest and most trusted friend, and now he was gone forever. As he stood there Link couldn't help but look down into Gerik's blood and dirt covered face, the expression on his face one of peace.

"It . . . it can't be," Zelda finally said through her tears. "Why . . . why did it have to be Gerik? He should've lived."

"You're right," Link said trying to hold back his own sorrow, "he should've lived. It's all thanks to him that Ganon was defeated, and had it not been for him I wouldn't be standing here. He saved us all."

"Oh god! How are we going to break this to Navi? She'll be heartbroken."

"I've been trying to come up with an answer to that the entire trip down here."

"Hey Link, it's about time you came back," came Navi's voice from behind them, causing them both to jump in surprise. "The war's been over for hours now. What's with the looks on both your faces? Where's Gerik? What happened? Tell me; where is Gerik?"

Navi's lips were quivering as she said this. Neither Link or Zelda responded, and neither of them tried hiding their expressions. Navi just kept turning her attention from one to the other waiting for one of them to respond. She then noticed the unmoving body lying behind them. The body's dark brown hair was encrusted with dried blood and dirt as were his clothes, which were now just as ratty as Link's. Covering her mouth with her left hand, Navi slowly made her way over to the body. Link and Zelda made no attempt to stop her; they just stepped out of the way and waited. When Navi reached the body she used her right hand to turn the body off of its side and onto its back revealing Gerik's dirty, bloody, and lifeless face.

"Noooooooo!" cried Navi as she closed her eyes tight and collapsed onto Gerik's body, tears flooding down her face.

Navi couldn't control herself, screaming out as she cried. Her wails were so loud that everyone in Hyrule Field could hear her. Navi's arms were folded over Gerik's chest, and she had her head buried into them as she cried. What was left of Gerik's shirt was already soaked in tears, and every once and awhile Navi would move one of her arms and pound either on Gerik's chest or the ground. Link and Zelda just stood there, Link's arm wrapped around Zelda's shoulder to prevent her from breaking down again. They didn't know what they could possibly do or say to her.

Unable to watch this anymore Link turned around, bringing Zelda with him as he did so. When their backs were fully to Navi and Gerik, Link took his arm from around Zelda and reached into his pocket. Out of it he pulled a letter and showed it to Zelda. Zelda couldn't help but gasp when she saw "Navi" written on the envelope. Turning from the letter to Link's face, she saw the uncertainty in him.

"This fell out of Gerik's pocket as I was carrying him down the mountain," Link said. "Obviously he intended for her to have it, but I'm not sure now is such a good time."

"Are you kidding?" replied Zelda. "We can't ever let Navi read that. Just look at how she's reacting now. If we give her that letter we could be pushing her over the edge."

"I understand, but this was apparently Gerik's final wish. He wanted her to have it, otherwise he would've never written it."

"We should at least read what he wrote then. I know it's a total disrespect for his privacy, but can we really give something to Navi that could be potentially harmful?"

"I'm afraid we can't. If he had intended for us to read it, then Gerik would've written our names on it also. So now that that's settled, can you go give this to her?"

"You're the one who found it; it's your responsibility."

Breathing out a sigh, Link gripped the letter tightly and made his way over to Navi. As he was doing this King Hyrule walked across the bridge and headed over to Zelda. Link had no idea how he was going to do this, but he knew it had to be done. Navi was still crying heavily over Gerik's body, and it pained Link to see her like this. When he was younger Navi was like his mentor, and to see her in such a week and feeble position was heart wrenching. When he was finally standing next to her, Link tapped her on the shoulder and waited until she turned her tear filled face up toward him.

"Um Navi," Link began, "I know this may not be the perfect time, but this fell out of Gerik's pocket when I was carrying him down the mountain. It has your name on it, and . . . well . . . here."

Link handed her the letter and Navi just continued to stare up at Link. Then, as if she were in some kind of daze, she turned her head toward the letter and reached out for it. Navi's tears began to lesson, but her body was now quivering uncontrollably. Once she took the letter Link turned around and headed over to King Hyrule and Zelda. Navi just stared at the envelope at her name written in big neatly written letters. She then slowly began to open the envelope and take the letter out. Wiping away the tears in her eyes so she could see clearly, Navi unfolded the letter and began to read.

_Dear Navi,_

_If you are reading this, then well you already know the reason why. The first lesson Impa ever taught me was to always be prepared. She said that nothing in life was impossible, only improbable. Obviously the improbable has happened and I am no longer a part of this world. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you though. You were a very important part of my life, more than you probably realize. You were, and you can quote Zelda on this, my first love. Nobody had ever caught my eye like you did the very first time I laid eyes upon your beautiful face. You took my breath away. Our time together may have been short, but it was the most important part of my entire life. If someone were to ask me what my favorite moment of my life was, it would be the first time you and I kissed. I don't want you to be sad. Please, don't shed any tears over my passing. Be as strong as I know you are. I may be gone physically from this world, but I will never leave your side. I will always be at your side, watching over you and protecting you in any way possible. We will meet again in time, but until then just know that I love you with all my heart. Nothing will ever change that fact. You were the only one for me, and you always will be. Till we meet again then._

_Lovingly yours,_

_Gerik_

Having finished reading the letter, Navi just sat there staring at it. Her tears had stopped, but her body was still shaking and she was sniffling. She was trying to be strong just as Gerik had wanted, but she was finding it difficult being so close to Gerik's body. Gathering her strength she stood up shakily. Her knees were weak, and she was having trouble remaining balanced. When she was strong enough to start walking, she headed over to where Link, Zelda, and King Hyrule were all standing, the letter gripped tightly in her hands. The three of them had been talking, but as soon as Navi walked over they stopped and turned to face her.

"I . . . I need to be alone right now," Navi said, her face showing signs that she was about to break down into tears again. "I'll . . . I'll be in the castle."

"She's taking it hard," said Zelda as Navi wobbled her way toward the castle. "That letter seems to have calmed her down a bit at least."

"That does it!" Link said angrily. "Where is Lord Arcana's body? I know he's dead because Ganon killed him and stole his powers. Now where is he? I want to look in the face of the person responsible for all of this."

"That may be a little difficult," replied King Hyrule.

"What do you mean?"

"We don't know where Lord Arcana's body is," said Zelda. "Navi looked all around, but none of the bodies was that of Lord Arcana. His body is just gone."

"Well, when I killed Ganon his body turned to dust. Maybe that's what happened to Lord Arcana. Then again, I used the Master Sword to defeat Ganon. I don't know, and I really don't care at the moment. We won; that's all that matters. Speaking of Ganon though, what happens now to the Triforce?"

"I don't know. All I know about the Triforce is legends, and since a wish has never before been granted by the Triforce there is no legend as to what happens. I am at a complete loss. Only the Goddesses would know."

"Enough with all this," piped in King Hyrule. "Like Link said, we won. This is a time for celebration."

"Yeah, celebration," Link replied mockingly as he looked around Hyrule Field. "I can see plenty of parties taking place with all this as the background."

"Hey, don't confuse me for an uncaring old coot. I knew many of these people. They were my friends, my brethren, and most importantly, my people. My heart broke with the death of each and every one of them, but they died for a purpose. They died so that Hyrule would live on. Their deaths were not in vain. I've already made preparations to make sure that these brave men and women will be honored forever."

"What are you talking about dad?" asked Zelda.

"You know the field that's to the West of Hyrule Market across Zora's river? Well, since it's unused and in plain sight from almost anywhere in Hyrule Field, I plan on turning it into a special memorial graveyard for all those who fought and died to protect Hyrule. I plan on making it as elaborate as can be with a big plaque in front of it telling all who visit it why the graveyard is there and why these warriors are honored so. Of course, a bridge will have to be built there first, but I plan on having this graveyard finished before construction even begins on Hyrule Market. It's the least that we can do."

"Wait a minute. You said that this graveyard will be to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives to defend Hyrule. Does this mean that you're finally accepting the Gerudo?"

"Yes my dear. I'm not too much of a king to admit when I was wrong. The Gerudo really came through for us. That is why I am finally going to accept the Gerudo as a part of Hyrule and open up trade and relations with them just like we have with the Gorons and Zoras. We have Gerik to thank for that. I still can't believe he's gone. He was like the son I never had. I will make it up to him though. I will have him buried among his Sheikah brethren and the royal family in Kakariko Graveyard."

"I'm sure that's something Gerik has always wanted," said Link, "to be honored by being buried in that graveyard, but shouldn't he be buried with all the others who died. This war was winnable only because of him. It was Gerik who warned me and you about the approaching army, got the Gerudo to come to our aid, and saved my life up on Death Mountain by sacrificing his. If not for him we would've lost. Gerik more than anyone deserves to be buried in that new graveyard of yours."

"Well unfortunately we can't ask him, and it would probably only upset Navi more to go up to her and remind her that Gerik is gone for good by asking her where to bury Gerik. We do have time though. Not much, but we do have time."

"Well, I'm going to go put Gerik's body with all the others. No matter what, he doesn't deserve to be lying out in the sun like that. I'll be right back."

Link turned around and started heading over to Gerik's body, but stopped short. He just stood there with his head down as if in deep thought. Link then turned around and walked back up to King Hyrule and Zelda. He headed straight for Zelda, and upon reaching her grabbed both of her hands in his. Zelda was a little startled by this, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

"Zelda, with all that's happened," began Link as he stared into her eyes, "I just wanted to tell you that I . . . that I . . ."

"Yes Link," Zelda urged him on with a big smile on her face.

"I . . . I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're alright."

With that Link let go of Zelda's hands and quickly turned around and walked over to Gerik's body. Without a second look back, Link hoisted Gerik onto his back again and made his way to what used to be Hyrule Market. Zelda's smile disappeared instantly. Those hadn't been the words she was hoping to come out of Link's mouth. Her expression becoming glum, she turned to watch as Link carried Gerik across Hyrule Field. King Hyrule just shook his head and breathed out a sigh as he watched his daughter.

"Zelda dear," he said looking up again, "look around you. With everything that's happened, don't you think it's time you stop denying your heart."

"What are you talking about?" asked Zelda trying to sound innocent.

"You love him. Don't deny it. Everyone, except for him, can see it in your eyes. Everyone can also see, except for you, that he loves you right back. The two of you have been denying your true heart's desires for a long time, and until now I've put up with it. But seeing everything that has just happened has made me realize what a fool I've been to have ignored it for so long. I don't want you to end up like Gerik and Navi."

"But if he feels the same way I do, then why has he never said anything?"

"For the same reason you haven't; he's scared. Link is a natural born warrior, so fighting comes easy to him. Expressing his true feelings to the one he loves isn't. I was the exact same way with your mother. If you wait for him to make the first move, then you may be waiting your entire life. He came very close a few minutes ago, closer than I ever got, but the fear of how you would react got to him. Go to him."

Zelda smiled slightly and kissed her father on the cheek. She then took off to find Link with full resolve. She knew that her father was right. She had just fought in the biggest war in Hyrule's history, so it should be a simple matter to tell Link how she felt. She walked across the temporary bridge that had been set up in place of the destroyed drawbridge and walked into the ruins of Hyrule Market searching for Link. She didn't have to go far to find him. She found him standing in front of the broken fountain, but Gerik was nowhere in sight. Link had either already placed him with the others or passed him off to another person.

Link was just standing there examining the remains of the fountain. That fountain was one of his most memorable memories from his childhood. He remembered the first time he saw it as a kid. It was easily double his size, and so magnificent. He had never seen anything shoot water up into the air like that before and he was stunned by the fountain's 'magic.' Now it was nothing more than a pile of stones. As he stood there Zelda walked up and stood next to him.

"Do you really think things will ever be the same again?" Link asked when he noticed Zelda. "Do you think Hyrule can and will recover?"

Zelda didn't say a word. Link turned to ask her again only to be met with her lips. Link was stunned and confused at first, but then closed his eyes and returned her kiss. As he kissed her Link wrapped his arms around Zelda and embraced her. Zelda did the same, pulling Link as close to her as she could. When their kiss ended Link placed his forehead against Zelda's and stared into her eyes. He had a smile on his face, and as he stared at Zelda her face seemed to glow. Zelda was blushing slightly, but she had on the same big smile she had a little while ago.

"I think things are looking brighter already," was Zelda's reply.


End file.
